INLD, AAP try to gain ground as Cong hit by national crisis

Sunit Dhawan

Rohtak, October 1

With the incumbent BJP-JJP regime in Haryana facing anti-incumbency and the main Opposition, the Congress, going through an organisational crisis at the national level, the other Opposition parties have started making efforts to emerge as an effective political alternative in the state.

The recent INLD rally has already set the ball rolling, with prominent Opposition leaders namely Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar (JDU), Sharad Pawar (NCP), Sitaram Yechury (CPM), Tejashwi Yadav (RJD), Sukhbir Badal (SAD) and Arvind Sawant (Shiv Sena) giving a clarion call to form a unified national alliance to defeat the BJP.

Anti-incumbency factor stronger in Punjab

AAP had a sound base and presence in Punjab before the last Assembly elections there, which is not the case in Haryana. The anti-incumbency factor is not that strong here. —Dr Rajendra Sharma, Professor, MDU, Rohtak

Political observers point out that while the INLD aims to regain its lost ground in the state by holding rallies and mobilising its loyal cadres, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is trying to make inroads by organising ‘Shiksha Adhikar Panchayats’ in villages across the state.

However, the AAP’s Delhi model of education is being publicised in Haryana by Delhi-based leaders namely Sushil Gupta, Sanjay Singh and Manish Sisodia as the Haryana unit of the AAP is functioning without a head.

This despite the fact that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal belongs to Haryana.

“We are in the process of creating a full-fledged organisational set-up in Haryana, which is reeling under crises in education, healthcare, farming, law and order, and provision of water and electricity,” said Gupta, in-charge of Haryana affairs in AAP.

Though the AAP leadership is hopeful of delivering a good performance in the next elections in Haryana, political pundits observe that its way may not be that easy.

“AAP hopes to repeat its Punjab performance in Haryana, but the situation is different here. The party had a sound base and presence in Punjab before the last Assembly elections there, which is not the case in Haryana. The anti-incumbency factor is not that strong here and it has to compete with the Congress, JJP and INLD as well,” states Prof (Dr) Rajendra Sharma, MDU, Rohtak.

Nonetheless, how effectively former Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala steers the INLD in the next elections and what kind of response incumbent Deputy Chief Minister and JJP leader Dushyant Chautala gets from the people remains to be seen.