Obama has won the battle, but the real war lies ahead

Ohio once again proved decisive when it came to the final result of the US presidential poll. Rediff.com's Bikash Mohapatra reports from the state that swung the election Obama's way

Four more years...

The slogan resonated at the Double Tree Hotel, venue of the Democrats' after-party on Tuesday.

It was Election Day and the Democrats were pretty confident of President Barack Obama's chances. It took some time though, before that confidence turned into concrete results.

The race for the President's post had been neck-and-neck to begin with.

Obama began well, winning the swing states of New Hampshire, Nevada, Wisconsin and Michigan.

His Republican rival Mitt Romney proved to be a tough opponent and responded well.

The Republican took Utah, Montana, Arizona, Missouri, Idaho, Texas, Louisiana, Kansas, North Dakota and South Dakota. Nebraska, Wyoming, Mississippi, Alabama, Oklahama, Arkansas, West Virginia, Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia, Indiana and Kentucky also went Romney's way.

Obama's fortunes began to change with a win in the crucial state of Pennsylvania.

He followed it up with wins in California, Hawaii, Washington and the District of Columbia, Minnesota, New Mexico, Maine, New York, Delaware, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Vermont and in his home state of Illinois. The other states remained a close call.

So it once again boiled down to the crucial toss-up states -- Florida, Virginia, North Carolina and Ohio. While it was tight in the first three, it was Ohio that once again proved decisive when it came to the final result.

Obama getting into an advantageous position in the Buckeye state meant he had earned himself another four years at the Oval Office. It is imperative here to mention that the Midwest state has had the impeccable record of voting for the winning candidate in the last five decades.

The electoral vote count, at the time of filing this report, stood at 290-203. 

It was albeit a double disappointment for Romney. The 65-year-old had earlier lost out the chance to run for presidency to fellow Republican leader John McCain in 2008. As expected, the Republican candidate ended up winning more states, and more popular votes, and yet came second best in the presidential race.

Obama's re-election has ensured his supporters will celebrate throughout the night.

The 51-year-old had used the slogan 'forward' during his re-election campaign. That is exactly the direction he would be looking to take his nation in the next four years.

Obama has won the battle (with Romney). But the real war lies ahead of him. And it will be anything but easy to win that one.