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 mobilizing organization.
"Had it not been for a blend of three forces -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his sabka saath-sabka vikas philosophy; an affable chief minister Nayab Singh Saini and a cadre mobilizing force RSS, today's results would not have been possible," a BJP source told The Tribune, analyzing 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 Nayab Singh 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-pehelwan-kisan (soldiers, wrestlers, farmers) were against the BJP.
From reservations for Agniveers and lifting of ban on non-basmati white rice exports to promise of Rs 2100 monthly support for women in the poll manifesto, Saini covered huge ground in very little time.
On 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 and his rehabilitation in the union cabinet 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 (BS 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 ex 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, Ganaur among others. Reports of counter consolidation against Congress candidates for over reliance on Jats also came.
While poll strategy was one part of the BJP's Haryana success story, voter and cadre mobilization was key to its win. And here, the RSS was its pillar.
In Lok Sabha polls, BJP suffered setbacks after angry RSS workers sat at home towards fag end of the campaign leaving gaps in mobilization.
The two organizations however recovered quickly from their squabbles and regrouped on Haryana poll eve with top Sangh brass holding strategy meetings with Haryana BJP leaders as early as July 29.
The results in Haryana mirrored a resurrected BJP-RSS coordination that was missing in the last phases of national elections and was widely seen as a factor that cost BJP its full Lok Sabha majority. With today's win, the BJP had regained the psychological edge it had lost to an aggressive Congress led opposition INDIA bloc after the LS polls.
"We will now go into Maharashtra and Jharkhand polls re energized," said a BJP leader on the importance of a win in Haryana, the first major state to witness elections after the 2024 LS cycle.
In another strategic shift for Haryana, the BJP also focused hugely on localised campaigns with only four strategic rallies by Modi who had held 10 rallies on the 2014 state poll eve.
"Instead of over exposing the PM, the calculated call was to have substantive rallies to cover majority ground. This paid off," said a BJP source recalling Modi's special association with Haryana.
As BJP in charge of Haryana in 1995, Modi was instrumental in stitching a successful BJP alliance with Bansai Lal led Haryana Vikas Party. The move helped BJP emerge from the shadows in a state where the Hindutva plank was not helping. Contesting in alliance with Bansi Lal who became CM, BJP won 11 of the 24 seats.
Later in 1999, Modi crafted another successful pre-poll alliance with the INLD for Lok Sabha polls. Both partners swept the elections contesting together.
It was close on the heels of his Haryana successes that Modi was hand picked by top BJP brass to replace then Gujarat CM Keshubhai Patel.
In 2013 when Modi returned to the national scene as BJP's prime ministerial face, he announced his arrival by a massive rally in Haryana's Rewari.
The rest is history.
