BACK TO THE OLD GUARD: Tiwari (right) with Maharaj

He leaps from cliffs, breaks through glass and runs into burning buildings. And the hero walks away with the applause. That is the lot of a movie stuntman, one Uttaranchal state Congress President Harish Rawat can well identify with. Though Rawat put his all into campaigning for the elections (he did not contest himself) and has the support of at least 27 of the 36 Congress MLAs in the newly constituted 70-seat Assembly, party chief Sonia Gandhi decided that veteran leader Narain Dutt Tiwari should head the new government.

Not that 77-year-old Tiwari was ecstatic at the prospect. For Tiwari-who has been chief minister of Uttar Pradesh four times, Union minister five times and was seen as a possible vice-president-heading a state that has only five Lok Sabha MPs was a demotion of sorts.

Tiwari was chosen basically to maintain a balance in the wake of a fierce battle within the party for the state's top job. Former Union minister Satpal Maharaj, who wields considerable influence in parts of Garhwal, resigned from the party to protest the denial of tickets to some of his nominees. After the party placated him and five of his nominees made it to the Assembly, he told Congress observers Ambika Soni and Ghulam Nabi Azad that if he were not made chief minister, neither should Rawat.

Rawat, who was instrumental in resuscitating the Congress after he was made state president two years ago, didn't spare any effort to scotch Maharaj's chances either. He was among the first to visit Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UKD) President Diwakar Bhatt on February 24 to condole the death of his wife Indu, who committed suicide after Bhatt lost the elections. The move was aimed at enlisting the support of the four UKD MLAs to neutralise Maharaj.

CONGRESS TO THE FORE Total Seats: 70

Soon after Tiwari's name was announced, protests broke out in Dehradun and a number of senior party leaders-including state Disciplinary Committee chief Puran Singh Mahra, Election Committee Coordinator D.N. Badola and Almora District General Secretary A.L. Shah-put in their papers, saying Tiwari had vehemently opposed the creation of Uttarakhand earlier. Eighteen MLAs who back Rawat called on Sonia on February 28 to register their protest but they were told Tiwari's appointment could not be revoked. However, the protests ensured that government formation was delayed.

The Congress victory in Uttaranchal is a reflection of the people's dejection with the BJP. There are plenty of reasons for that: the decision to make Dehradun the state capital, the appointment of an unpopular Nityanand Swami as chief minister and the inability to finalise the division of assets with parent state Uttar Pradesh are just a few. No wonder only five of the BJP's 15 MLAs have retained their seats.

"People expected us to do in 15 months the work done by governments in a five-year tenure," protests outgoing chief minister Bhagat Singh Koshiyari. S.S. Sajwan, newly elected Congress MLA from Rishikesh, has the last word: "The people rejected the BJP because of its inaction. I thank the BJP for helping us come to power."