Congress Haryana Hard Landing Gives BJP Hat-Trick Win

BJP On Course To Retain Power In Haryana

By Manish Anand

New Delhi, October 8: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is set to retain power in Haryana. The BJP is on course to get a simple majority per Election Commission (EC) trends on Haryana poll outcomes.

Latest EC trends show the BJP leading and winning a total of 49 Assembly seats in Haryana. The Congress is seen winning and leading on 36 Assembly seats. Three Independent candidates are either leading or winning in the state. The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) is leading on two Assembly seats.

“The Haryana poll verdict is surprising and unprecedented,” said Jairam Ramesh, the Congress general secretary and the communication in-charge. Ramesh alleged that the Congress will raise complaints with the EC within two days.

Also Read: Haryana votes to decide winner in battle of freebies 

“We lost from seats where there were no expectations of us losing. There are complaints of pressure put up on local officials at some places,” alleged Ramesh. The Congress held a press conference after it became clear by 5 PM that there was no reversal in poll trends from Haryana.

The Congress is seen polling almost 39.09 per cent vote share per EC trends at 5 PM on Tuesday. The Congress improved its vote share tally by over 21 per cent from 2019.

But the BJP also gained additional three per cent vote share, from 36 per cent in 2019 to over 39.89 per cent now. The Haryana verdict shows a fulsome rejection of the smaller political parties.

The Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) of the former deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala was routed in the Haryana elections. The JJP drew blank in the poll outcome.

The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) was leading on two Assembly seats. Independents were leading on three seats. In all, smaller parties and independents could show their strength on just five Assembly seats out of the total 90.

Also Read: Congress showcases Ashok Tanwar with message of ‘Ghar Wapsi’ 

The BJP had won 40 Assembly seats in 2019 state polls. The saffron outfit has improved the tally to 49 now. The BJP is seen gaining from Haryana the exodus of the rank and files of the JJP in Haryana.

After the incumbent chief minister Naib Singh Saini, the BJP had inducted a number of the JJP MLAs. The BJP’s gain in the vote share is being accounted for the shift in the base of the JJP in favour of the saffron outfit.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) polled about 1.78 per cent in Haryana. The AAP was seeking an alliance with the Congress in the Haryana Assembly elections. But the Haryana Congress satrap and former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda opposed an alliance with the AAP.

The AAP national convenor and former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal sought to suggest that the Congress missed from wresting power in Haryana by not forging an alliance with his party. “No one should be overconfident about elections,” said Kejriwal on Tuesday evening in the national capital.

Also Read: Amit Shah in Haryana counters Congress MSP poll plank

While the Congress improved vote share substantially, the party still lagged the BJP with 0.80 per cent vote share in Haryana. The Selja Kumari factor in Haryana possibly also hurt the Congress.

The Congress campaign had an air of over confidence, counting the state already in its kitty. A senior BJP functionary attributed the party’s success to organisational hard work and a perfect chemistry with the Rashtriya Swayam Sewak Sangh.

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About The Author

Manish Anand

Manish Anand is a senior journalist with more than two decades of hardcore reporting on beats such as Prime Minister’s Office, Parliament, BJP, Congress, Planning Commission, NITI Aayog, and scores of Union Ministries.

His past has been with The New Indian Express, The Asian Age/Deccan Chronicle, and The Statesman.

For about 15 years, Manish was also a regular commentator and host for talks on AIR on foreign affairs.

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