Four Congress candidates who promised jobs lost election

All four Congress candidates, including state Congress chief Udai Bhan, who promised employment to youth during the campaigning lost the Assembly election while the BJP went about seeking votes for its “merit-based” employment right through the polls.

The state unit chief and Congress candidate from Hodal (reserved) had said his party would form the government and he would be at the “centre of power”. “At least 5,000 youth would get government jobs,” he had claimed during a public meeting.

Since rising unemployment was a big issue in the recent elections, the party leaders tried to woo the youth by dwelling on the point that they would give them jobs, if elected to power.

In a video that went viral during the elections, Congress candidate from Ganaur (Sonepat) Kuldeep Sharma said, “Now that Hooda sahib (referring to former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda) has said two lakh government jobs will be given, you should add 20-25 per cent more to your village share. You will get that many jobs.”

His son Chanakya Pandit, during a meeting at a village, too, was also caught on camera luring the electors in the name of giving jobs. ”I will give you my contact number. You bring only a slip where your roll number is written. I will take your application to Hooda for the job,” he is heard saying.

Addressing a poll meeting, Congress candidate from NIT Faridabad Neeraj Sharma also gave a similar commitment. “Hooda has promised that 2 lakh government jobs will be given in Haryana. Make me a winner and our region will get a quota of 2,000 jobs. I will recommend one job for 50 votes each,” he said.

Shamsher Singh Gogi, Congress candidate from Assandh, said when Assandh gets its share in the power, they would accommodate everyone but “would fill our house as well”.

These remarks by the Congressmen, caught on video and widely circulated on the social media, drew criticism from the BJP and the public before the polling. Saffron party leaders used the videos to drive home the point that merit would be compromised.

“The Congress narrative did not cut ice with the youth. Contrary to it, the youth started to worry that merit would be sidelined in favour of recommendations. Our ‘bina kharchi, bina parchi’ slogan which translated into merit-based employment for the youth in the last decade of good governance under the BJP found favour and increased their confidence in the party,” says Satish Poonia, BJP Haryana affairs in-charge.