Haryana: Bypolls leave Cong gleeful as BJP's Modi wave bubble, bursts

Chandigarh: No one in Haryana BJP would accept this in the open, but the bypoll results have certainly dented the morale of the cadre and leaders in the state. It has taken away the aura of invincibility the party carried about it till recently. Worse, the opposition is charged up now, determined to give the party a tough fight. In public, the BJP leaders still claim that the results, specifically in Uttar Pradesh where it lost 8 of the 11 seats, will have no effect on the party’s election prospects in Haryana. Speaking to Firstpost, Anil Vij, leader of the BJP Legislature Party, said they are not unduly worried about the results. “These results will have no effect on the assembly elections in Haryana. Election Issues are always different in the by-elections and the general elections. The by-elections are not a reflection of the performance of the government’s fate. In Haryana, the people are fed up of the Congress misrule of 10 years and are itching for a change. The people have full confidence in the BJP and after the election the party will form the government,” he said. [caption id=“attachment_1664479” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. AFP[/caption] BJP’s national spokesman and party nominee from Narnaund constituency in Haryana, Capt. Abhimanyu said: “The ruling Congress is facing a strong anti-incumbency wave in Haryana and will suffer defeat as the people want a change.” Commenting on the by-election results in the country, Haryana Janhit Congress leader Kuldeep Bishnoi said the people have realised that the BJP is a party that promises more and delivers little. “Janta ne BJP ko uski aukat samjha di hai,” he added. Still sore over what he calls back-stabbing by the BJP leading to the break-up of their alliance, Bishnoi said the BJP was a party that could never be trusted. The Congress, on the other hand is very happy with the by-election results. Party spokesperson and Haryana PWD Minister Randeep Singh Surjewala described the situation for the BJP as a bubble that had burst. “Modi’s ache din have evaporated and the BJP’s bubble has burst. The BJP in Haryana is a congregation of defectors and rejected politicians from other parties. What good can such politicians deliver to the party?” he asked. Former Congress MP from Rohtak, Deepender Singh Hooda compared the BJP’s new entrants from other parties as `Chinese maal’ which had no guarantee of quality. The by-election results have come as a crucial morale-booster for the beleaguered Congress. Staring at defeat a few days ago, it has started talking of a third term for Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. The party feels the Modi wave has waned in the state and now it is an equal battle. The Congress campaign in the Haryana elections is based on the development work under Hooda, while the BJP’s is focusing on the misrule of the Congress, while the INLD is attacking the ruling party on its various omissions and commissions. The BJP had fought the Lok Sabha elections on the development plank, but in the by-election it wavered from its path and allowed Hindutva forces and issues to come to the fore. The disappointing result of that ill-conceived poll plan is there for everyone to see. It also takes heart from the fact the BJP has failed to keep its promise of reducing prices and providing good governance. The more BJP harps on its promises of bringing `acche din’ in Haryana, the more the Congress feels it would do better. Despite the reputation of having disciplined cadres, the recent large scale protests by BJP leaders all over the state after the first list of ticket distribution showed that the party was prone to bouts of unrest. If the first list of 43 leaders could cause such unrest, one can imagine the situation when the names of the remaining 47 candidates are declared. In the outgoing Haryana assembly the BJP had just four of the 90 seats compared to 40 of the Congress and 31 of the INLD. Even the HJC had six members in the House before five of them defected to the Congress. The BJP’s overconfidence to go it alone in the elections by getting rid of even the alliance partner Haryana Janhit Congress may prove to be a poor political strategy in the end.