Morale booster for BJP ahead of Assembly poll

Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 23

The BJP’s emphatic victory in Haryana in the Lok Sabha poll today is likely to have a huge bearing on the upcoming Assembly elections scheduled to be held by October this year.

The victory of the ruling party candidates in all 10 seats of the state will not only prove a morale booster for BJP workers ahead of the Assembly elections, but also prepare the ground for Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar coming to power again.

In the results announced today, the BJP has attained victory in 81 of the 90 Assembly segments while in October 2014 the party had won 47 Assembly seats.

On the other hand, the INLD, which won 19 Assembly seats in the 2014 Vidhan Sabha poll, could not secure victory on a single Assembly seat.

The BJP recorded victory even in Ellenabad, the Assembly segment represented by Abhay Singh Chautala, as well as Dabwali, the seat represented by JJP convener Dushyant Chautala’s mother Naina Chautala.

The JJP, an offshoot of the INLD, though managed to register victory on Narnaund Assembly segment of the Hisar Lok Sabha seat.

The Congress, too, did not fare any better, as against the 17 seats represented by the party in the Assembly, it could register victory in eight segments only – 4 in Rohtak Lok Sabha seat, 3 in Gurugram and only one in Sonepat.

In Kurukshetra, Faridabad, Bhiwani, Sirsa, Ambala and Karnal Lok Sabha seats, the BJP candidates emerged victorious in all nine Assembly segments under these seats.

In the process, the BJP registered victory in the seats held by Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Kiran Choudhry, former Speaker Kuldeep Sharma, senior Congress leader Kuldeep Bishnoi, Bishnoi’s wife Renuka Bishnoi and senior party leader Karan Singh Dalal.

The BJP secured 58.01 per cent votes in the Lok Sabha poll followed by Congress 28.22 per cent, JJP 4.98 per cent, BSP 3.56 per cent, INLD 1.91 per cent and LSP 0.45 per cent.

With voters of 81 out the 90 Assembly segments having voted in a large majority for the BJP and the ruling party getting nearly 60 per cent of the votes, political observers feel that Assembly elections could prove a cakewalk for the party.

Addressing mediapersons here today, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar ruled out the possibility of Assembly elections being held ahead of schedule and exuded confidence of coming to power again.