NEW DELHI: Though the counting of votes for the Haryana assembly election is still underway, the trends show a major setback to the Congress party, which was expecting to return to power after a 10-year hiatus.
While the exit polls predicted a convincing win for the Congress, the results came as a huge shocker for the grand old party. Some party leaders attribute the poor show of Congress to the bitter factionalism ahead of the elections. The factions led by former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, and former Union Minister Kumari Selja and Randeep Surjewala have always made their ambition for the chief minister’s post.
Selja, a popular Dalit face of the party, even stayed away from campaigning for two weeks and skipped the manifesto launch event. The ticket distribution caused friction within the party factions with Selja seeking a ticket for herself and 35 loyalists. While Selja managed to get only ten tickets for her loyalists, the Hooda camp got as many as 70 candidates.
In 2019, the Congress lost the assembly elections due to the internal feud.
The party doesn’t seem to have learnt any lessons from assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh and Chhatisgarh points out a leader. The High command’s overdependence on regional satraps is being pointed out as the main reason for the electoral reverses in MP and Chhattisgarh.
Though the party has not announced a CM face in Haryana, it was no secret that the Hooda faction has the upper hand in deciding the tickets for candidates. Another reason is Congress’ focus on the Jat community, leading to the consolidation of the non-Jats in favor of the BJP in the state.
Observers also point out that several independents and rebels played spoilsport for Congress. Apart from BJP and Congress, Aam Aadmi Party, INLD-BSP, and JJP-Azad Samaj Party are among the key parties contested in the polls. Though Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was keen on an alliance with the AAP, the Hooda faction was unwilling to an alliance.
Meanwhile, the stunning performance of the National Conference (NC) and Congress alliance in Jammu and Kashmir come as a huge relief for Congress. However, Congress doesn’t have much to celebrate as NC can take credit for the win in the state.
The electoral setback in Haryana will also have implications for Congress and the opposition INDIA bloc for the upcoming elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand.
