The party headed by Sonia Gandhi, which saw spectacular success in recent times in both national and state assembly elections, lost in both Punjab and Uttarkhand -- two important states in the powerful northern belt.

The main opposition at the federal level -- Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) -- along with its allies has wrested power from the Congress in both the states, dealing a severe blow to the ruling UPA coalition in general and the Congress in particular. The results in the tiny northeastern Manipur are also nothing that the Congress can cheer about.

The development obviously came as a big boost for the BJP, and it is no wonder that the opposition is claiming that the federal government in New Delhi, more than halfway through the five-year term, has lost the people's mandate.

The ruling alliance, as expected, brushes aside this view, and says that the outcome of the state assembly polls in no way reflects the performance of the central government. Nevertheless, the results have raised questions about the likely scenario in the coming state assembly voting in crucially important Uttar Pradesh and, of course, the national elections in the long run.

Three states went to polls, the outcome of which was a matter of great interest and curiosity, not only in India but outside as well, because of manifold reasons. The voting was seen as a test of the popularity of the major national, and also the regional, parties which generally call the shots in their respective states.

However, the national parties have gained, and suffered, in the polls. The BJP along with its regional ally Akali Dal has romped home in the Punjab, while the BJP on its own has wrested power in the Uttarkhand.

In both cases, the Congress lost power, and in the process is the biggest loser. Manipur gave a fractured verdict, but this small state does not figure in big way in shaping the pattern of national politics.

Punjab and Uttarkhand are in the crucially important "Hindi" belt, and both the states play key roles in national politics although they are not as big as Uttar Pradesh or Bihar in terms of size and population. Both states have national level key politicians. Prime Minster Manmohan Singh hails from Punjab, where the Congress had a comfortable majority in the assembly and ruled the state.

Many thought that the ruling party might scrape through in the polls, but it did not happen. So was the case in Uttarkhand. Clearly, the results are a big disappointment to Congress which, however, is seeking to put up a brave face in the face of the electoral debacle.

Since the return of the Congress to power in India in the last elections, it had mixed fortunes in the state assembly elections. The leftists were the major beneficiaries, as they won handsomely in West Bengal and also in Kerala, while the Congress headed by Sonia Gandhi lost power in Kerala and fared badly in West Bengal where, however, it is no more a force to reckon with.

However, the Congress had enough reasons to rejoice, as it is a key ally of the DMK-led alliance that won the polls in Tamil Nadu, and it maintained its strong grip in Pondicherry.

Additionally, party chief Sonia Gandhi was re-elected in a federal parliament (Lokshaba) by-election with a record margin that underscored her growing popularity.

She resigned the membership of the Rai Bariely constituency in the Uttar Pradesh state in the wake of a controversy centering on holding of more than one office of profit. Undoubtedly, Sonia's victory by more than four lakh votes was a shot in arms for her and the Congress.

Another aspect of her election was her son Rahul Gandhi's increasing visibility in party activities. Already a member of parliament from the nearby Amethi seat, Rahul worked hard in his mother's by-election, and the outcome was also seen as a measure of success for him as well as his sister Priyanka Bhadra, who was also involved in the campaign as a part of her peripheral role in politics.

The Congress sought to maintain the trend of improving its popularity, but several factors in the last few weeks contributed to its electoral debacle in the "Hindi" heartland states, causing speculations that it would fare badly in the coming state polls in India's largest state, Uttar Pradesh.

Although Congress is not a strong force here, as it could not form a government in this critically important state for many years, there were signs of it's slowly improving image that might eventually bring the party back to Uttar Pradesh, home of illustrious Congress leaders like former prime ministers Jawharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and now Sonia Gandhi and her children. Sonia, although Italian-born, it considered as the present heir to the famous Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty.

Recently, Congress fell apart with Mulayam Singh's Yadav's Samajwadi party, which rules the UP state. Sonia Gandhi's subsequent effort to bring the state under direct president's rule drew flak, and this weakened the party in northern India to some extent, in the sense that Congress failed to implement its agenda in the state although it is in power in India.

Understandably, there has been a reflection of this scenario in the polling in Punjab and Uttarkhand. Inflation has been high in India in the last two or three years and this had an adverse effect in the voting for Congess, while price-hike was certainly another factor.

The return of the "Bofors" scandal in discussions, alleging massive corruption by the Congress government during Rajiv's premiership, also affected Congress. Of late, an Italian businessman suspected of having links with the huge kickbacks in the deal was arrested in Argentina, and this also caused enough discomfiture for the Congress.

The state assembly polls will demoralize Congress to some extent although party chief Sonia and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh are seeking to put up a brave face, saying that this was no reflection on the performance of the federal government.

They do not deny some fall-outs of the failure of Congress governments in these states, but see no threat to the party's popularity. Their belief notwithstanding, the outcome of the state assembly polls is a kind of wake-up call for the Congress, and it must pay heed to it to avoid a reversal of earlier success.

Zaglul Ahmed Chowdhury is a senior journalist.