CONTENTS

Vol XVII No 21
FIRST reports of the results of the elections to the four state assemblies of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala and West Bengal, arid the by-elections to several Lok Sabha and state assembly seats suggest that the Congress (I) has fared better than expected. The United Democratic Front (UDF) led by the Congress(l) has already secured a majority in Kerala and even in West Bengal the party has done well, winning many more than the 24 seats it had in the prorogued assembly and securing, in the process, the defeat of several important Left Front ministers. In Haryana and Himachal Pradesh too, considering the serious problems it was having in the form of large scale revolts and defections, the party has been able to match the Lok Dal-BJP alliance and the final results in both the states promise to be cliff-hangers.