History repeats: State elects party in power at Centre again

Continuing the political trend, voters in Haryana have once again elected the government of the party which is in power at the Centre. Apart from recently voting for the BJP, which started its third term at the Centre this year, voters had gone with the saffron party in previous two elections — 2014 and 2019 — also.

The pattern is not new in Haryana. In the past, the state’’s voters have frequently chosen the same party for both the state and the Centre. Even former Chief Minister and Power Minister Manohar Lal Khattar during his election campaign highlighted that the people of Haryana always elected the government of the party which was in power at the Centre.

In 2005 and 2009, when the Congress ruled at the Centre, Haryana too had a Congress-led government under the leadership of Bhupinder Singh Hooda. The trend continued with the BJP gaining power at both the Centre and in Haryana in 2014, when Khattar became the state’s Chief Minister.

In 2019, this trend persisted with the BJP winning again at both levels.

Haryana’’s political history reflects this alignment on several occasions. In the 2000 elections, the state witnessed an alliance between the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) led by former CM Om Prakash Chautala and the BJP, while the Centre was also governed by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 1999. However, the BJP did not participate in the state government, despite contesting the elections in alliance with the INLD, said a political analyst.

In 1996, the Haryana Vikas Party in coalition with the BJP came to power in the state, aligning with the central NDA government. In 1991, the Congress ruled both Haryana and the Centre, with the state government staying in power until 1996.

From 1980 to 1987, the Congress government was in power at the Centre. Similarly, from 1982 to 1987, the Congress was in power in government in Haryana.

After the Emergency, a similar trend prevailed at both the Centre and state when people elected the Janata Party.

Political analysts believe for political stability and development, the electorate tend to favour same party in the state and at the national level.

“People of Haryana feel that national politics has a great impact on Haryana due to proximity with Delhi. Also, for development of the state, they vote for the same party. This alignment often leads to better coordination in policies and projects between the Centre and the state,” said Dr Ramji Lal, a political analyst and former principal of Dyal Singh College, Karnal.