The BJP literally had the last laugh in Haryana by upsetting the mathematics of Congress and the pollsters. A win here was crucial because the Congress was attempting to resurrect itself from the dungeons and counter the onslaught of the saffron brigade bolstered by the 99-seat tally at the Lok Sabha election. However, the defeat for Congress in Haryana and a below-par score in J&K only meant that the party had gone into reverse gear once again. The BJP has not only secured a record third term but managed its best-ever performance in Kashmir signalling a dramatic turnaround.
Nobody expected the BJP to win. Not the Congress, the pollsters, or for that matter, even the analysts. The odds were against the BJP in Haryana because of the simmering discontent built up with sections of people and farmers and the wrestling community stacking against them. However, the Congress had a bigger set of problems. Differences between the state unit of the Congress and the central leadership, as well as the various issues and the rifts within state factions that were visible during the campaign trail. The old and new faces narrative continued to dodge the party, and, sadly, the grand old party did not learn lessons from Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh last year. Factionalism and internal divisions continue to hurt the party across States. Goa had its fair share of such internal party rivalries, which now appear to have been ironed out in large measure.
At a time when the Congress had a foothold in the INDIA Bloc with Rahul Gandhi emerging as a unanimous choice of leadership, the defeat came as a jolt. The BJP may have failed to open its account in the Kashmir valley but it succeeded in maintaining its stronghold in the Jammu region, winning its individual best 29 seats – and emerging with the largest vote share of 25.5 per cent overall.
The setback in Haryana puts the goodwill of both Congress and Gandhis on a slippery slope again. The immediate criticism thrown by allies amplifies that. On Wednesday Shiv Sena (UBT) questioned the party over its decision to go alone in Haryana, while Trinamool Congress accused it of “arrogance and entitlement”. The entire focus of the Haryana debacle has shifted to Congress and its decision-making as Shiv Sena (UBT) lauded the BJP for its “systematic management”.
The Haryana loss means that the Congress will lose its bargaining power when it comes to Maharashtra where it is in talks with Shiv Sena (UBT) and Sharad Pawar’s NCP-SP alliance, even as AAP has announced that it will not consider an alliance in Delhi.
Congress, on the other hand, has been alleging manipulation of the electronic voting machines to rig the results, with party spokesperson Jairam Ramesh mentioning that the results go against the ground reality. Time and again when results have gone against, EVMs have been made the target with the party refusing to acknowledge its failings. In politics, especially in the Opposition space, this happens all the time. It’s time the Congress steers away from finding faults with the results and introspects on the party internals before going to polls in States like Maharashtra and Delhi.
There are lessons for the Congress in Goa too from the Haryana debacle. Overconfidence can have disastrous consequences in the political arena.
