Haryana victory boost for BJP leaders & cadre in HP

Three unprecedented consecutive victories of the BJP in the Haryana Assembly elections may act as a “Sanjiveeni” to leaders and workers of the BJP in Himachal Pradesh who were demoralised after the 2022 Assembly elections and two successive defeats in nine bypolls which were held in June and July this year.

Due to the BJP’s successful poll management and strategy, it snatched victory from the jaws of the Congress in Haryana, which may have an electrifying impact on the demoralised cadres of the BJP in this hilly state who are now feeling elated.

Meanwhile, the Congress leaders and workers are in a state of shock in the state as they had also presumed the outcome in Haryana as a foregone conclusion based on hyperbolic imagination like their top leaders in Delhi. But everything ended in a heartbreak as expectations did not match the ground realities in Haryana.

It is a mere coincidence that the vote share difference between the BJP and Congress in Haryana in the 2024 Assembly polls was merely .85%, whereas it did not exceed .90% in Himachal Pradesh in the November 2022 elections. The BJP won 48 seats and Congress was stuck at 37 in Haryana, thereby even neutralising the two-time anti-incumbency factor. Surprisingly, there was a bigger gap of 15 seats between the Congress and BJP in Himachal Pradesh in 2022 and the BJP could not nullify anti-government sentiments of common people and employees.

Political observers do not rule out the BJP’s committed ideology to snatch power through backdoor by adopting undemocratic means, especially after the flop show of “Operation Lotus One” .The defection of six Congress MLAs and cross-voting by them during the lone Rajya Sabha seat election held on February 28 led to the victory of BJP nominee Harsh Mahajan. Despite the defection, the Sukhu government survived and BJP lost six out of nine bypolls thereby pushing the state leaders into dock and the strength of Congress went up to 40. At this juncture, the BJP high command tried to topple Sukhu government but hopes were dashed to the ground when everything went haywire.

Known for his sobriety and calculated usage of sentences, BJP national president JP Nadda lambasted the Sukhu government for its failure to fulfil poll guarantees and creating financial crisis. Ministers of the Sukhu government countered the allegations and held the Centre responsible for letting down the state people.

Experts say there could be “hidden agenda” of the BJP high command to make another toppling bid which may be linked to statements of Prime Minister and Union Minister during the Lok Sabha campaign who hinted that the Sukhu government might not survive after the Lok Sabha polls results. But the plan was kept in abeyance and can be implemented if the BJP wins Maharashtra and Jharkhand?

— The writer is a political analyst and columnist based in Shimla