Refusing to accept that the Anna Hazare factor ever worked in elections, the Congress on Wednesday said, from the Hisar Lok Sabha polls to the ongoing Assembly elections, the local issues dominated the minds of the people and they voted accordingly.

When asked if the Anna-factor worked in Punjab and Uttarakhand, AICC spokesperson Manish Tewari said, “In Hisar Lok Sabha byelections the issue was local, in Uttar Pradesh and Manipur the issues are going to be local only and in Punjab and Uttarakhand the issue was the change of the respective government in the states.”
Therefore, “to sum up the trend or factor”, Mr Tewari said, “If any factor, which was there, it was against the incumbent governments in Punjab and Uttarakhand and the same is going to be in Uttar Pradesh.”
Incidentally, Mr Hazare’s team has been campaigning in the election-bound states.