BJP's trio in Haryana: Congress's hopes dashed
The Haryana Assembly election results have shattered Congress's hopes, delivering a disappointing outcome for the party.
prativad 
The Haryana Assembly election results have shattered Congress's hopes, delivering a disappointing outcome for the party. Congress had anticipated a return to power in the state after ten years, but they failed to gauge the public mood correctly. As a result, they will now serve as the opposition in the state assembly for the third consecutive term.
The BJP, on the other hand, effectively implemented its strategy to maintain power. A few months before the election, the central BJP leadership replaced former Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar by inducting him into the Union Cabinet and handed the Chief Minister's role to Nayab Singh Saini. This leadership change worked in BJP's favor, helping them secure a third consecutive term in power. Similar leadership experiments were conducted by the BJP in other party-ruled states, where they also achieved success.
This victory in Haryana has further elevated Manohar Lal Khattar's stature, who served as the state's Chief Minister for nearly nine years. BJP workers and leaders are celebrating the party’s impressive win, while Congress is left bewildered by how the exit polls, which predicted a favorable outcome for them, turned out to be wrong. Congress must now accept their defeat and introspect on why they are failing to connect with the electorate.
The election results suggest that there was already an undercurrent of support for the BJP in Haryana, which Congress’s strategists failed to detect. The overconfidence Congress displayed in trusting the exit polls led to their downfall.
One of the key reasons for Congress's defeat was internal discord within the party. Senior leader Kumari Selja, who was a contender for the Chief Minister's post, was reportedly upset with the way tickets were distributed, which led her to distance herself from the party's campaign for nearly ten days. Rahul Gandhi had to intervene to resolve the issue, bringing Selja and former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda together on stage to show unity. However, by then, the damage was already done. Selja’s absence from the campaign hurt the party’s chances, especially among the Dalit vote bank, which had traditionally supported Congress.
Additionally, Congress believed that factors such as farmer discontent, opposition to the Agniveer scheme, and anti-incumbency would help them end their decade-long exile from power in Haryana. However, they overlooked the undeniable appeal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s charismatic popularity, which remains a significant challenge for them to overcome.
The BJP's victory and Congress's defeat in Haryana clearly show that Congress needs to reevaluate its strategy and address the internal rifts that are hindering its prospects.
