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As Haryana votes Saturday, the big question is whether the Congress has managed to seize on the anti-incumbency in the state against the two-time BJP government.
The Congress seems upbeat and appears to be ahead in the perception battle across the state. However, as Liz Mathew reported, the BJP might not yet be completely out of the picture.
Mathew, who travelled through the Kurukshetra-Karnal region, writes that the BJP, sensing that livelihood issues will matter to voters more than anything else, had adjusted its strategy. It focussed on the state government’s track record over the past decade rather than solely relying on the image and popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It is the first time in a decade that the PM was not front and centre in an election campaign by the BJP.
On the campaign trail, the party spoke of creating jobs transparently — “bina parchi, bina kharchi (jobs without recommendations or bribes)” — the Saini administration’s decision to increase the annual income limit for the creamy layer among Other Backward Classes (OBCs) from Rs 6 lakh to Rs 8 lakh, and a host of sops announced for government employees, backward communities, and panchayat chiefs.
With the issue of unemployment having dented the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections in Haryana a few months ago — the party lost five of the 10 parliamentary seats to the Congress — BJP workers also talked about the Saini government’s efforts to create jobs. This, they believe, will blunt the Congress’s narrative on joblessness.
The Congress seems confident of a win, with senior leaders Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Kumari Selja lining up to be in the running for the CM race. In 2019, Haryana saw a fractured mandate, with the BJP winning 40 seats, six less than the 46-seat majority mark in the 90-member House. The Congress bagged 31 seats, the JJP 10, and the INLD one. The JJP proved to be the kingmaker, striking an alliance with the BJP to form a coalition government. The results for the Haryana polls will be out on October 8, along with that of J&K.
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The focus shifts to Maharashtra, which is expected to go to polls soon.
On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will release Rs 20,000 crore as the 18th instalment of the PM-KISAN scheme on Saturday at an event in Washim in Maharashtra. Maharashtra Governor C P Radhakrishnan, Union Ministers Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Rajiv Ranjan Singh, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, and Deputy Chief Ministers Ajit Pawar and Devendra Fadnavis will attend the event.
Maharashtra farmers will receive an additional Rs 2,000 crore under the state’s Namo Shetkari Mahasanman Nidhi Yojana, an official statement said.
On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be visiting the state for the second time within a fortnight, making halts in the politically crucial region of Vidarbha.
The trip will include a tour of the Jagdamba Mata Temple, Poharadevi, in Washim, an important pilgrimage centre of the Banjara community, halts at samadhis of two local saints, and the inauguration of a ‘Banjara Virasat Museum’ A nomadic tribe, the Banjaras number over a crore, constituting a sizeable vote bank in parts of Vidarbha, North Maharashtra and Marathwada regions.
The BJP’s push for the Banjara vote follows the erosion of support for it among the Dalits and Kunbis. While the Congress successfully wooed the Dalits in the Lok Sabha polls talking of a “threat to the Constitution”, the Kunbis are angry with the BJP-led Mahayuti government over the confusion on the Maratha quota issue.
Also happening: Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, is scheduled to unveil the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at Kasba Bawda around 9.30 am on Saturday.
In Maharashtra, the Congress finds itself in a resurgent position.
The party that failed to negotiate for the post of Deputy CM in 2019 is now trying to contest the most seats in the coming Assembly elections and, according to insiders, has set its sights on the chief ministerial post.
Of the three parties in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), the Congress performed the best in the Lok Sabha elections, winning 13 of the 17 parliamentary seats it contested.
In the party, a lot of credit has been given to the All India Congress Committee’s (AICC) Maharashtra in-charge Ramesh Chennithala who delegated responsibilities to regional leaders before the Lok Sabha elections and directed them to focus their efforts only in the areas assigned to them. Sources in the Congress said the second-rank leadership was assured that if they managed to deliver results, they would have an upper hand in ticket distribution for the Assembly polls. According to MVA sources, the Congress is looking to contest 110-115 seats of the total 288,
— With PTI inputs
