US conundrum: Romney may win popular vote, lose election

Incumbent Barack Obama holds the early advantage in the United States presidential elections over his Republican rival Mitt Romney and looks set for to return for a second term.

Although the candidates are almost splitting the electoral votes, and Romney is ahead in the popular vote as well, Obama is projected to win quite a few crucial states.

It is imperative to mention that the US president gets elected by the electoral votes and not the popular ones.

Voting is still going on in the western states -- thanks to the time zone difference -- and counting is on in full swing in the others.

As things stand, Obama has all but won New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Illinois and leads in a handful of other states, with California (with 55 electoral votes) almost definitely going to the Democrats.

A few of the states mentioned above were Democratic strongholds that could have gone the Republican way. Unfortunately for the Republicans, that didn't happen.

Romney is certain to pocket South Carolina and Utah and he is projected to win Montana, Oklahama, Texas, Tennessee and Georgia.

In such a scenario, Colorado, with nine electoral votes, is a must win for Romney.

In case Obama trumps his rival in Colorado, it is a lost cause for Romney. He will then have to make a clean sweep in 'swing states' like Ohio, Florida, Virginia and North Carolina, without doubt a near impossible task for a challenger.

As things stand, it is neck-and-neck between the two candidates in both Florida and Ohio, the possibility of a clean sweep thereby getting nullified.

It won't be wrong to say that at this stage things are getting increasingly difficult for the Republican candidate.

The possibility of Romney winning more states, and the popular vote, and yet losing the election looms large.

And that will be a shame.