Defying all poll predictions, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) scripted a new history in the Haryana Vidhan Sabha elections by capturing power for the third consecutive term, something unprecedented in the political chapters of the State. In the House of 90 members, BJP has won 48 seats recording an all-time highest number for itself. With three Independents also announcing their support for BJP, its effective tally has risen to 51.
Convincing Victory
BJP’s victory has been far more convincing when compared to the last Assembly elections held in 2019. While its vote percentage went up from 36.49 in 2019 to 39.94 in 2024, the number of seats also went up from 40 in 2019 to 47 in 2024.
On the other hand, Congress, which was riding high on confidence, was expected to build an anti-incumbency wave. However, it came a cropper with 37 seats.
On the national spectrum, Haryana Vidhan Sabha results would bolster the spirits of the party cadre in a big way and is expected to find its reflection in the forthcoming Assembly elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand. The message from Haryana in the Hindi heartland would also reaffirm the BJP’s dominance in the region.
BJP’s Clinical Micro Management
Many political observers feel that what turned the tide in favour of BJP has been its quiet clinical micro management. While Congress indulged in reckless drum-beating making anti-incumbency as its main agenda, BJP’s election managers silently worked on the ground making the election campaign more a door-to-door exercise than creating a public uproar.
This time round, BJP fielded 60 new faces along with its strategy to bring Nayab Saini to the forefront. It proved to be a big trump card that apparently put Congress party’s agenda of continuing Jat domination in the
State on the back seat
While Congress tried to raise a hype with slogans like “Jawan, Kisaan and Pehelwan” focussing its campaign largely among the Jats, BJP worked meticulously to keep all the classes together in its fold with messages like Sab ka Saath, Sab ka Vikas.
One of the tactically smart moves of BJP to neutralise the anti-incumbency was to change the Chief Minister of the State in March this year. Manohar Lal Khattar, who had been the State Chief Minister for almost nine and a half years, was made to give way to Nayab Singh Saini, who immediately came as a fresh face. In his short term, he took a string of decisions that seemed to infuse fresh life in the State administration.
However, BJP could not reap benefits in the Lok Sabha elections as it lost five Lok Sabha seats. In 2019, BJP captured all the ten Lok Sabha seats whereas in 2024 the number came down to five. The party leaders were quick to respond to the new situation and got down to the brasstack to make suitable mends in the electoral strategy for the Vidhan Sabha elections.
Making Inroads in Jat Heartland
One of the key factors that BJP evolved its strategy around was to make inroads in the Jat heartland. And it was reflected convincingly in the election results which demonstrate BJP’s victory in the Jat-dominated pockets. That Jats are not in favour of BJP was a calculated perception. It was built by BJP’s opponents over a period of time, particularly during the farmers’ agitation against the three agriculture bills and later in the wake of the unsavoury incident in which wrestlers levelled molestation charges against the then BJP MP, who was president of the Wrestling Federation. Coupled with it, Congress and INLD leaders tried to raise a bogey of fear on the issue of Agniveers. All this became a big challenge for the BJP to address, but the party took the bull by the horns and undertook an intense exercise to jeopardise the design of the Opposition, mainly the Congress.
While Congress tried to raise a hype with slogans like “Jawan, Kisaan and Pehelwan” focussing its campaign largely among the Jats, BJP worked meticulously to keep all the classes together in its fold with messages like Sab ka Saath, Sab ka Vikas
Consequently, in the Jat-dominated districts like Jind and Sonipat, BJP won 80 per cent of the seats. So much so that Brijender Singh, former BJP MP from Hisar and the son of former BJP Union Minister Birender Singh, who had shifted their loyalty to the Congress, lost the election from the Uchana Vidhan Sabha seat to the BJP nominee.
So much so that the farmers’ leader, Gurnam Singh Charuni, lost his deposits contesting from Peohwa Vidhan Sabha seat which demonstrated firmly that the hype of BJP being anti-farmer was largely baseless.
Bolt From the Blue for Congress
For Congress the results came as a bolt from the blue because of the over-confidence that former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda reflected all through his campaign. This could be seen right from the day the Congress high command handed over the reins of the campaign to Hooda, who not only made his arbitrary choice of candidates but also kpet all other senior leaders at bay.
The most glaring being keeping former Minister Sheilja Kumari completely out of the campaign. In addition, senior leaders like Birender Singh and Randeep Surjewala were not included in the party campaign.
In order to woo the Jats, Congress built a campaign that excluded all other sections of society. Banking on the perceived anti-incumbency wave, Hooda gave party tickets to a big majority of candidates from the Jat community. In addition, the Congress built a hype that took the media and the pollsters to believe that it was going to be a clean sweep for the Congress.
All this badly boomeranged on the Congress and the party had to lick the dust winning just 37 seats which is marginally better than what it had performed in 2019.
That the Congress could not maintain its tempo of the Lok Sabha election results was reflected in the fact that during the Lok Sabha elections the Congress had taken lead in 46 Vidhan Sabha seats, but it crumbled down to victory on 37 seats three months later.
Decimation of AAP & JJP
For Aam Aadmi Party the election proved to be another waterloo as 87 of the 88 of its candidates forfeited their deposits. The dismal polling percentage exposed the shallow political rhetoric that the AAP leaders sought to create. At almost all stages the party leaders would say that AAP would emerge as a king-maker. But at the end it had to eat a humble pie. In 2019, the party had contested and lost all the 46 seats.
Now, it is a moot question whether the Haryana results would have an impact on the forthcoming Delhi elections?
Similarly, the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) led by Dushyant Chautala, former Deputy Chief Minister, which had played the role of a king-maker in 2019 by lending support to the BJP to form the Government, stood practically decimated from the political scene of the State. The party, which enjoys the legacy of Devi Lal, hit rock bottom as it failed to win any of the 66 seats it contested. So much so that Dushyant Chautala lost his deposits from the Uchana Kalan Vidhan Sabha seat.
