PM, Saini, RSS — saffron party fielded right players at right time
As the BJP scripted history in Haryana on Tuesday, top party strategists attributed the win to a combination of three factors — a never-say-die prime minister; an unassuming chief minister; and a mass-mobilising organisation.
“Had it not been for a blend of the three forces — Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his ‘sabka saath, sabka vikas’ philosophy; affable Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini and cadre-mobilising RSS — today’s results wouldn’t have been possible,” a BJP source told The Tribune, analysing the results that defied predictions and exceeded expectations.
Leaders recall how PM Modi put personal equations with Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar aside to ward off his decade-long anti-incumbency — a strategy that reaped massive successes for the BJP in Gujarat, Uttarakhand, Assam and Tripura.
Kurukshetra MP Saini, an OBC face, was brought in to replace Khattar in March 2024 and guided to deliver welfare schemes as counters to Congress’ narrative that “jawan-kisan-pehalwan” (soldiers, farmers, wrestlers) were against the BJP.
From reservations for Agniveers and the lifting of ban on non-basmati white rice exports to the promise of Rs 2,100 monthly support for women in the manifesto, Saini covered huge ground in very little time.
On the election eve, the BJP dealt a final blow to the anti-incumbency challenge by dropping 38% of its sitting Haryana MLAs — a contrast to the Congress which retained most and suffered.
“Timely replacement of the CM (Khattar) and his rehabilitation at the Centre ensured we retained our Punjabi vote bank. Installation of Saini, an OBC, expanded our outreach further when the Congress was fully concentrated on one community (Jats) and one leader (Bhupinder Singh Hooda), neglecting its own Dalit stalwart Kumari Selja who made her angst known,” said a BJP poll strategist in Haryana. Today’s results revealed how by adopting a mix of strategy for non-Jats and Jats, the BJP even cracked some tough Jat strongholds.
In Tosham, it fielded Shruti Choudhry, the daughter of former Haryana Congress leader Kiran Choudhry who had switched over to the BJP after Congress denied her daughter a Lok Sabha nomination. Shruti, late CM Bansi Lal’s granddaughter, won as did BJP candidates in other Jat-dominated seats such as Bhiwani, Dadri, Sonepat, Gohana, among others. Reports of counter-consolidation against Congress candidates for over-reliance on Jats also came.
Factors that mattered
Timely action to ward off anti-incumbency, focus on non-Jat consolidation, strategic inroads into Jat belt, mass mobilisation and localised strategy among key factors that won the day for the BJP. With the victory, party regains psychological edge on the eve of Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Delhi elections
