Assembly Election 2014: Haryana pre-polls show slender win for BJP, Haryana election news updates, Haryana political news, latest and political news 2014
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- Last Updated: Thursday, 22 January 2015 21:05
Assembly Election 2014: Haryana pre-polls show slender win for BJP
With former chief minister OP Chautala in jail, BJP has gained the upper hand in the poll fray. With just a day left to end feverish campaigning in both Haryana and Maharashtra for the assembly polls, this is perhaps the first time that the tiny but politically significant state of Haryana misses the battle-royal of the Lals. The state once used to be their bastion and kept alternating power between Devi Lal, Bansi Lal and Bhajan Lal for most part of its history.
The last of them Bhajan Lal, who had broken his umbilical cord with the Congress and formed his own party Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC) died in 2011. Political winds do predict a slender victory in favour of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), thus ending the primacy of the Congress and Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) of convicted jailed leader Om Prakash Chautala.
Since these elections have turned into a referendum on prime minister Narendra Modi-led government's performance, the BJP pulled all ropes to ensure restoration of personal credibility of the prime minister that took a partial beating in the recently conducted by-elections. The BJP is in a face-off with INLD and the Congress, the party that has ruled the state for 10 years and faces significant anti-incumbency.
But a worrisome factor of the BJP is that its other oldest ally in the NDA after Shiv Sena, the Akali Dal has tied up with the INLD. The Punjab chief minister Prakash Singh Badal actively campaigned in favour of old friend Chautala's candidates, but without raising any murmors and hackles as the break-up with Shiv Sena raised in Maharashtra.
Though, the Congress tried its best to apprise people about the development the state has witnessed over past 10 years, the opinion polls came up with a common line that the two factors—allegations of corruption against the Congress party and the effect of Modi's rallies—fit very much into the narrative of the voter choices in the national elections. Though, Chautala, a former chief minister, has been convicted and sentenced to a 10-year jail term in a corruption case involving the recruitment of teachers, he has succeeded to create a sympathy wave amongst his traditional Jat voters, who contributed 24% of state's electorate.
The campaigning in the state had also colour and fervour, with political parties making full use of traditional Haryanvi artists to carry their message. A Delhi-based marketing agency Touchwood Group hired by the Congress for canvassing, targeted 500 kitty parties in 10 towns, 200 barber shops in each constituency, besides movie halls, mandis and trade and business associations, to sell the Brand Congress.
But still the political pundits believe the 92 Khaps, self-styled caste panchayats, hold the key to the victory of candidates. They may have drawn flak for their controversial anti-women diktats, but they are face of influential Jat community. Head of Ghatwal khap Baljeet Malik, chief of Meham Choubasia Khap Shamsher Kharka have been fielded by the BJP.
In the multi-cornered contest for 90 Assembly seats, another issue worrying contestants is fielding of candidates with similar names. Among the constituencies where namesakes are in the fray are Thansear, Indri, Gharaunda, Israna (R), Sonipat, Jind, Rania, Adampur, Narnaund, Barwala, Dadri, Garhi Sampal Kiloi, Bahadurgarh, Gurgaon, Sohana and Badhkal.