By Sanjeev Kumar Patro 

  BJP Won Big in SC seats, wrested 2 from Congress

Bhubaneswar: Haryana has given Navaratri gift to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. And for the BJP cadres and leaders it‘s like Tiger Abhi Zinda Hai moment. The Bharatiya Janata Party foot soldiers go ecstatic chanting Modi hai to mumkin hai. 

The election results from the northern state today have been the shocker of the day for the pollsters and poll pundits alike.

Demolishing all the hype and hoopla about massive anti incumbency wave devouring BJP in the State, and the return of Congress back to the power throne after a decade, the poll results were a sort of historic for the Modi-led ruling BJP, as BJP became the only party after 1972 to win the race to power for the 3^rd consecutive time in the State.

After the State was carved out of Punjab in 1966, the Indian National Congress party won three times in a row (1967, 1968 and 1972). But literally, the Congress win was only for 10-year tenure only. More so, when the party’s vote share and seats went for a freefall in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, where BJP could win only 5 seats. The BJP vote share in 2024 Haryana LS elections got sliced to 46% from 58% in 2019, and Cong VS tanked up to touch 47.61%  from 28% in 2019. 

BJP was fighting this election with its back to wall, especially after Agniveer campain, wresters’ mega protest, the Farmer Movement, and above all the aggressive Congress campaign led by none other than Rahul Gandhi in his new avatar combined with the pollsters-pundits negative assessment for the party had simply clouded the poll atmosphere for the BJP.

In such blackly backdrop, the BJP winning big in Haryana, and that, too, for the 3^rd time in a row, qualifies to be called HISTORIC.

WHY HISTORIC HATTRICK?

Big turnaround is a buzz word for any business venture, in general. It is not an exaggeration to call the BJP win in Haryana, a big turnaround in the country’s poll history. Chhattisgarh BJP win couldn’t qualify so, as the party was in opposition there. But in Haryana, BJP was on the powerseat for 10 years in a row.

It’s time to analyse the poll turnaround plan BJP implemented to win the Haryana assembly elections.

• Replacing Nayab Singh Saini with Manohar Lal Khattar worked for the BJP in Assembly polls, though it didn’t work in LS polls.
• Anti-incumbency was against former CM Manohar Khattar, not against PM Narendra Modi or BJP.
• The change of CM here worked wonder.
• After LS polls, BJP realised the drift of dalit voters towards Congress. CM Nayab Singh Saini’s schemes (BR AmbedkarHousing scheme) and policies (20% reservation for SCs) proved master stroke.
• Out of 17 SC Assembly seats, BJP retained 4 seats, lost 1 seat to Congress, but snatched Sadhaura and Ishrana from Congress party.
• The snapping of ties with JJP proved rewarding for BJP.
• JJP, which had 10% vote share in 2019, shrunk to mere 0.91% in 2024.
• BJP walked away with all votes, the party wrested 2 SC seats won by JJP – Uklana and Narwane.
• JJP’s Guhla seat wrested by Congress.
• Overall, BJP won in 9 SC seats, Congress won 8 seats.
• In comparison to 2019, BJP gained 2 from Congress and 2 from JJP
• Congress gained 1 each from BJP and JJP. 
• Besides, in majority of seats where the SC voter population is around 17-20%, BJP had performed well.
• Moreover, Nayab Saini’s sops for Sarpanches paved off dividend to BJP.
• The large scale recruitment drive carried by Saini govt fetched votes for BJP in both urban and rural areas.
• Saini govt’s sops for Famers (MSP coverage increased to many new agricultural crops), Incentives announced for milk farmers too.
• Seeing ado or die battle ahead, BJP organisation worked at optimum. Workers bring out BJP voters to booths, thanks to October weather.

The BOTTOMLINE is with a new CM face, and slew of policy and administrative decisions, along with organisational perk up, the BJP effected the big turnaround plan in India’s poll history.