New Delhi: As soon as the results of assembly elections in Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir came, the mandate received a strong welcome national conference (NC) and Congress Alliance in Jammu and Kashmir but the biggest surprise was for Haryana where Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) surprised and is ready to form the government for the historic third time in the state.
Both Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir have 90 assembly seats, of which the majority figure is 46. It was a high prestige battle for many veterans in these assembly elections. Here’s a look at the top winners and losers from these elections.
winners
1. Democracy
This list cannot begin without mentioning that elections have been held in Jammu and Kashmir after a decade. This assembly election has great significance because in the last 10 years, major changes have taken place in Jammu and Kashmir, the most important of which is the abrogation of Article 370. This was also the first election after the territory lost statehood. The stakes were high even after the delimitation process, which led to constituencies being redrawn and the reservation system for Scheduled Castes and Tribes being modified, led to significant changes in the electoral structure of the region.
Despite all this, the elections in Jammu and Kashmir were as normal as any other state/union territory in the country. Voting was held in three phases and was conducted peacefully in all areas amid tight security. The total voting percentage in Jammu and Kashmir was recorded at 63.45, which is higher than the recently held Lok Sabha elections. This election was also historic because three communities – West Pakistan Refugees, Valmikis and Gorkhas – voted for the first time.
2. National Conference
This was a direct fight for the survival of the National Conference and the Abdullah family in Jammu and Kashmir. As the counting of votes began on Tuesday, National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah ran a 7km run in Srinagar and posted a selfie on Instagram. Ultimately, the results made him and his party one of the biggest winners of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections. Result.
The party was last in power in 2009-14 and Omar Abdullah was the chief minister. The NC was not only fighting its arch rival Mehbooba Mufti’s PDP but also the BJP, with which it had joined hands with the Congress in a pre-poll alliance.
In the elections held a decade later, people strongly supported Abdullah’s NC.
Omar Abdullah, who contested from Ganderbal and Budgam, is leading in both the constituencies.
3. BJP
Proving all the exit poll results wrong, BJP surprised everyone by achieving majority in Haryana. In an environment where the party was fighting an anti-incumbency wave, a strong perception battle amid opposition from farmers and wrestlers, the party emerged as the clear winner by securing power in the state for the historic third time.
Earlier all exit polls had rejected the party and given a clear mandate to Congress.
A few months before the assembly elections, the party’s decision to replace Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar with Naib Singh Saini also seems to be bearing fruit.
4. Modi magic
The election results showed that the Modi magic which started in 2014 is still working for BJP. The party has repeatedly relied on the PM for the election campaign. Ahead of the elections, PM Modi criticized Congress for its alleged divisive and negative politics. He also named Robert Vadra for accusing Congress of corruption in land deals. In campaigns, he directly attacked the party for “corruption, racism and nepotism”.
The BJP also stressed on a “double engine government” with the BJP at the Center and in the state, which the party claims will accelerate initiatives and development work.
5. Vinesh Phogat
In Haryana, the Congress has lost, and its stalwart Bhupinder Hooda has lost, but one candidate who has managed to win big just months after losing a major medal at the Olympics is Vinesh Phogat. Pehalwan, who joined Congress just a few days before the elections, won the election for the first time from Julana seat. In the battle of “nationalism”, the BJP had fielded former Indian Army captain and commercial pilot Yogesh Bajrangi against him.
Her party may have lost the final in Haryana, but it has emerged as the winner.
lost
1. Exit poll
The assembly election results of Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir surprised many people and the biggest loser of the day was the exit polls and pollsters. Defying all the exit polls, BJP succeeded in gaining power in Haryana for the historic third time. All the pollsters had given a clear majority to the Congress.
The exit polls in Jammu and Kashmir were a little close, but not exact. The pollsters had declared a hung assembly in Jammu and Kashmir with the NC-Congress alliance leading. However, the actual results gave the coalition a clear mandate.
2. Congress and Rahul Gandhi
The biggest defeat in this assembly election has been suffered by Congress and Rahul Gandhi who failed to capitalize on the lead they got in the Lok Sabha elections. Just five months ago, the party was on a high after securing 99 seats out of a total of 543. Along with this, Rahul Gandhi also became the face of the anti-BJP Indian faction and the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha.
Despite this, Congress could not stop BJP in Haryana which was already struggling with anti-incumbency wave. The Congress also failed to garner votes with the help of farmers and wrestlers, who are in direct competition with the BJP government. In fact, in an embarrassing situation, the party office which was excited with dhol, sweets and celebrations early in the morning had to stop the celebrations midway as the results started tilting in favor of BJP.
Congress will be able to become a part of the government in Jammu and Kashmir but only with the help of National Conference. It was understood that the National Conference formed a pre-poll alliance with the Congress to help consolidate its victory in the Jammu region, where the BJP has dominance. In fact, during the election campaign, Omar Abdullah had openly raised questions on Rahul Gandhi’s absence in the Jammu campaign. Abdullah had said, “I hope that Rahul will focus on Jammu after finishing campaigning on one or two seats in Kashmir. Ultimately what Congress does in Kashmir is not important. What Congress does in Jammu is important. Is important.”
However, the party failed to cause any significant damage to the BJP in the region.
3. Bhupinder Hooda
Earlier in the day, as the trends turned in favor of BJP, which surprised everyone by becoming the single largest party in Haryana, former CM Bhupinder Hooda put on a brave face and still claimed that Congress will form the government in Haryana. The Congress failed to take advantage of the momentum of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and the one to be questioned will be Bhupinder Hooda. The Congress high command had strongly supported Hooda and at least 70 candidates fielded by the Congress had the support of his camp.
His rival Shailja, who draws support from the Dalit community, stayed away from the campaign for most of the time. Hooda’s open rivalry with Shailaja and his heavy dependence on the Jat community appear to be hurting the Congress in the state.
4. PDP and Mehbooba Mufti
In Jammu and Kashmir, it was no show for Mehbooba Mufti’s PDP as the NC-Congress alliance put up a stellar performance. Mehbooba Mufti, who was the last CM of the state 10 years ago, failed to leave any mark in the assembly elections. He and his arch rival Omar Abdullah were fighting for relevance and survival. Part of the India Bloc at the national level, his party did not align with the Congress-NC alliance and contested the elections alone in the UT. However, this was no demonstration for the PDP in Jammu and Kashmir.
5. Aam Aadmi Party and Arvind Kejriwal
Aam Aadmi Party’s efforts to make inroads in its leader Arvind Kejriwal’s home state Haryana once again suffered a setback as the results were a complete failure. AAP had campaigned on the strength of its popular governments in neighboring Delhi and Punjab. The Haryana results come at a time when Arvind Kejriwal has quit his post as Delhi Chief Minister and said he will continue in the post only if AAP forms the government after next year’s assembly elections.
Although the Haryana elections will not have a direct impact on Delhi, but despite contesting on almost all the seats, not being able to secure even a single seat can dampen the enthusiasm of AAP workers.
