Jat consolidation goes against BJP

Sushil Manav
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, October 24

Anti-incumbency, overconfidence, “wrong” distribution of tickets, yearning among Jats to regain power and failure of the ruling party to consolidate non-Jats in its favour seem to have led to BJP's less than expected performance in the October 21 Assembly polls.

In the results announced today, BJP managed to win 40 seats, but fell short of crossing the half way mark in the 90-member state Assembly. This is much short of the target of 75 plus seats the BJP had set for itself before the start of Assembly polls.

Only in May this year, the BJP had made a clean sweep in the Lok Sabha polls winning all the 10 seats.

The ruling party had obtained lead over its rivals in 78 out of 90 Assembly segments in the Lok Sabha polls, but now, it could win nearly half of those seats.

The ruling party’s vote share also slipped from 58.02 per cent in Lok Sabha polls to 36.5 per cent this time while Congress’ vote share remained almost same — it rather went down a little from 28.42 per cent to 28.1 per cent.

Although the BJP government in the state was confident of performing better because of the way leaders of other political parties, particularly the INLD, had switched over to its fold, but the party can at least have consolation that it is repeating.

Sources close to the ruling party told The Tribune that the party leadership is stunned by the results, because they had not imagined that they would get a simple majority and most of its minister would lose elections. Sources said the party failed to sense anti-incumbency factor.

During the electioneering, though people admitted that recruitments have been made in a transparent manner in Haryana during Manohar Lal Khattar regime, people talked of unemployment and a general slowdown of business due to demonetisation and GST. 

Traders in grain markets complained against online marketing of agricultural products and residents of HSVP sectors had problems with hefty enhancement costs imposed on their plots.

“Wrong” distribution of tickets also cost the BJP a few seats, as some rebels who contested as Independents against the party nominees eventually emerged as winners while some others spoilt chances of the party nominees.

Balraj Kundu from Meham, Gokul Setia from Sirsa, Rakesh Daultabad from Badshahpur, Nayan Pal Rawat from Prithla, Randhir Singh Gollen from Pundri, Sombir from Dadri and Dharam Pal Gonder from Nilokheri are some of the examples.

Besides, there was a strong yearning among Jats to get back CM's post to the community which they had lost to Khattar in 2014. This explains the huge response Congress received for Hooda in his Deswali heartland of Rohtak, Jhajjar and Sonepat and by Dushyant Chautala in Bhiwani, Hisar, Fatehabad and Jind.

In contrast, the BJP failed to consolidate its non-Jat vote bank largely to the anti-incumbency against the government.