Coming so soon after the Lok Sabha results, the win is a shot in the arm for the BJP, which had to form alliances to retain power at the Centre. (Express Photo by Tashhi Tobgyal)
Securing an unprecedented third term in a state that appeared increasingly discontented, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has achieved a victory that even the party itself may not have fully anticipated. For once, most pollsters seemed on the same page as they predicted a Congress win in Haryana, a sentiment echoed by some within the BJP itself. However, the BJP not only defied these predictions, but also improved on its 2019 tally of 40 seats.
The win marks the first time a party will form a government for three consecutive terms in Haryana. It also signals a significant shift with the appointment of an OBC Chief Minister, Nayab Singh Saini, in a state long known as “Jatland.” Saini, representing the 40 per cent OBC electorate, was elevated to the top seat ahead of the elections in March and led the party as its CM face.
Coming so soon after the Lok Sabha results, the win is a shot in the arm for the BJP, which had to form alliances to retain power at the Centre. It’s also a testament to the party’s robust poll strategy and machinery. Starting in January, the BJP started its campaign with “Modi Ki Guarantee” vans visiting villages to highlight welfare schemes and address grievances. Aware of the anti-incumbency it faced, the BJP restructured its leadership, replacing Manohar Lal Khattar, a close aide of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with Saini, an MP and the first OBC to lead Haryana. This was part of the BJP’s longstanding strategy to consolidate non-Jat voters, who form over 70 per cent of the electorate. The groundwork was laid in 2014 when the party surged from four seats in the 1999 assembly elections to 47, driven by the Modi wave, and appointed a Punjabi khatri as the CM.
The party remained on course despite a challenging performance in 2019, when it had to join forces with the newly-formed Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) to form the government. This time, the BJP took a clinical approach, fielding 60 new faces for the 90 assembly seats to counter anti-incumbency. The strategy seems to have worked, and the party looks set for a comfortable majority. The win also highlights Prime Minister Modi’s enduring appeal in the state, where he retains strong loyalty despite the farmer agitation, the women wrestlers’ protest and the Agnipath scheme.
In hindsight, Congress, which drew its strength from these very issues and made them central to its campaign, appears to have misjudged its strategy. The party continued to rely on its veteran leader and two-time CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda. A delayed ticket distribution process saw Hooda’s camp securing over 70 of the 90 seats, causing discontent among those left out. The party remained divided, with Kumari Selja, a key Dalit leader and MP, joining the campaign only at the last minute, largely limiting herself to her stronghold of Sirsa. Although Rahul Gandhi drew large crowds, his heavy focus on the corporate versus farmers narrative may not have resonated with the trading community and other upwardly mobile voters.
The results offer little succour to regional parties as well. While the Indian National Lok Dal-BSP alliance secured two seats, the JJP failed to win any. The Aam Aadmi Party, which had long eyed Haryana after its success in Punjab, also couldn’t open its account.
In the end, it won’t be wrong to say that the Opposition failed to read the pulse of the people. And while slogans like “Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan, Jai Pehalwan” stirred emotions, they failed to translate into votes.
