Just days after five Indian states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa, Uttarakhand and Manipur went to assembly polls to choose a new government for a five-year term, the official results are out Tuesday, signaling the rising of regional parties in India and the decline of the country's main ruling Congress party and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP).

India's most populous state of Uttar Pradesh booted out the incumbent Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party's (BSP) government, voting back to power the state's opposition Samajwadi Party, led by father-son duo of 72-year-old Mulayam and 39-year-old Akhilesh Singh Yadav, after five years of interval by BSP.

The Samajwadi Party gained an absolute majority of 215 sets out of a total of 403 in the state assembly, a landslide which gave a signal of rising power of regional parties in India.

"Congress' Nehru-Gandhi scion Rahul Gandhi's magic has failed to impress the people of Uttar Pradesh. It's a clear jolt to the 41-year-old's political career as his promises to revive his party in the politically crucial state where it has not ruled for 22 years managed to get results," said Professor Ajay Singh, a political analyst based in the Indian capital.

In fact, Congress secured only the fourth slot in the polls by winning 37 seats, below the country's main opposition BJP with 48 seats, contrary to early results announced by local TV channels which said the Congress gained the position of the third party in Uttar Pradesh while Mayawati-led party came second with 88 seats.

Congress spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi, however, defended Gandhi despite the disappointing results.

"Not even Rahul Gandhi's worst enemies, political or otherwise, suggest that his leadership was lacking. He was outstanding. He's gone to every nook and cranny, he's provided the spirit, the euphoria, the leadership -- if it doesn't translate, then it doesn 't translate," he told the media.

In the northern state of Punjab, the incumbent Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) coalition government with the country's main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) managed to retain power with 67 seats, putting to rest theories that the main opposition Congress, which gained 47 seats, may win the assembly polls.

"Here also the state's main opposition Congress' ambitions to get people's mandate has failed. Their projected chief ministerial candidate Captain Amarinder Singh's hopes of a win due to anti- incumbency failed. People have rejected the Congress again," said Prof S.K. Gupta, another political analyst.

In the western state of Goa also, the Congress-led government received a huge jolt with the opposition BJP aiming to claim stakes to power following people's mandate to rule the 40-member assembly. Some prominent Congress leaders have lost their assembly seats in the former Portuguese enclave.

"But, it's a close call in the northern state of Uttarakhand which is being ruled by the BJP which won 31 seats while the Congress won 32 seats. Both are neck to neck. It's expected that either BJP or Congress may have the last laugh if they manage to garner some independent support," said Professor Singh.

Manipur in northeastern India is the only state where Congress is set to form a government in the 60-member assembly for the third consecutive five-year term.

The month-long state polls, held in a total of 690 assembly seats, are being perceived as a litmus test ahead of the national elections in 2014.

"They are also seen as a test for the Congress party-led government, whose credibility has been hugely hit in recent months over a series of corruption allegations," Basab Dasgupta, an expert on Indian politics, said.