Modi, Shah asked to address more rallies in Haryana as BJP finds the going tough

Haryana, set to elect its new Assembly on October 21, is heading for a situation, which may not be to the liking of the BJP.

The Bharatiya Janata Party was on cloud nine after the Lok Sabha elections as it not only won all the 10 Parliamentary seats in the state, but former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda lost in his citadel to a light-weight BJP nominee.

Since the BJP led in 79 of the 90 Assembly segments of the 10 Lok Sabha seats, its leaders boasted that during the State Assembly elections their party would go “75 paar” (Beyond 75 seats).

The opposition was demoralised. The Congress was licking its wounds. Its sorry state was further compounded by internal dissensions. Workers were in the dark under whose leadership the party would contest the Assembly elections. Ashok Tanwar, who remained chief of the state unit for over six years, had seemingly failed to inspire the cadre. But he refused to own up the failure.

The party badly needed an urgent change in the leadership after the debacle in the Lok Sabha elections. However, it was only after four months and barely a month or so before the Assembly elections, that the reins of the Haryana Congress were handed over to Rajya Sabha member Kumari Selja and former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

By that time many party leaders had quit in search of greener pastures. The cadre had been demoralised further. It goes to the credit of Hooda and Kumari Selja that they were able to resuscitate the party in the short span of time available to them. Now the party can at least claim to be putting up a fight.

The “75—paar” BJP no longer seems as confident as it was barely a few weeks ago. It has to look behind its back repeatedly as it finds the opposition gaining momentum. Like in Gujarat, where the saffron party had claimed that it would win at least 150 seats but could just manage a simple majority, Haryana too seems set to pour cold water on its ambitions. BJP workers in the field admit in private that “Delhi door hai” as far as the party’s dream of “75—paar” is concerned.

The Congress would have been in a far more comfortable position had its leaders risen above narrow considerations of personal loyalty while selecting candidates. Instead of nominating clear winners, the leaders insisted on fielding their personal loyalists.

In a number of constituencies the fledgling JJP (Jannayak Janata Party) floated by a rebel member of the Chautala family, finds itself in a commanding position by default. Even the wife of former Union Minister Birender Singh is finding herself in hot waters against Dushyant Chautala, President of the JJP, in Uchana. Prem Lata is a sitting MLA and Uchana is her husband’s pocket borough.

Many members of the Manohar Lal Khattar Cabinet are fighting with their back to the wall in their respective constituencies. Prominent among such ministers are Finance Minister Capt Abhimanyu, Agriculture Minister O.P. Dhankar and Education Minister and Haryana BJP stalwart Ram Bilas Sharma.

In several constituencies, there is strong anti-incumbency against sitting BJP MLAs. Even their own party workers and RSS workers are not participating in the election campaign, annoyed as they are with the “arrogance” of their MLAs.

With elections just three days away, this disinterest of the workers can prove to be costly to the BJP. Panic buttons have already been pressed in the BJP. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was scheduled to address four public meetings in the State, will now address one more meeting. Similarly, party chief Amit Shah is also being requested by the State BJP to address additional election rallies.

These elections would also decide the fate of the JJP and the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) of former Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala. Reports coming so far suggest that Dushyant Chautala, a grandson of Om Prakash, is much ahead of his grandfather.

Om Prakash, who is in jail after he was convicted in a corruption case, has given his blessings to his younger son, Abhay, who is leading the INLD now. Dushyant is a son of Ajay, elder son of Om Prakash. Ajay is also serving a 10-year term along with his father.

While the JJP is in contest in about 10 constituencies, the INLD is believed to be in serious contest in just three or four Assembly segments. Even in Sirsa, the home district of the Chautalas, the INLD and the JJP no longer command the support which the Chautala clan used to enjoy once upon a time.

The BJP seems to be in for some rude shock on October 24, when the votes will be counted.

However, the situation may change in the night before the polling when the money power is expected to come to play with its full might. Neither the Congress, nor for that matter any other opposition party, can match the BJP in money power.