Haryana heads for the hustings, main contest to be between BJP and Congress

Chandigarh, Oct 4 Haryana heads to Assembly elections on Saturday, with the contest likely to be a bipolar one between traditional archrivals -- the state's ruling BJP that is banking on a third successive stint with to its "double-engine" government despite internal rebellions, and the principal opposition Congress, which is eyeing to dethrone it, citing "existing resentment" among crucial sections like farmers, employees, unemployed youth, and wrestlers.

While both the BJP and the Congress are contesting on 89 seats, political observers told IANS that the presence of candidates of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the state's once-prominent Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), contesting in alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), and the INLD’s breakaway faction Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), which is in the fray with the Azad Samaj Party, besides some BJP rebels who are in the fray as Independents, have made the contest triangular or multi-corned on a few seats.

Haryana, where soldiers, wrestlers, and farmers predominate, is the first state to go to the polls after Lok Sabha elections where both the Congress and the BJP won five seats each in the state.

After thwarting foes within, Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda, 77, who served as the Chief Minister from 2004 to 2014, has campaigned across the state to ensure the return of the party to power, by dislodging BJP’s first-time Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, an Other Backward Classes (OBC) leader.

For Hooda, BJP’s national issues like inflation and the Agnipath military recruitment scheme and the state’s growing unemployment, law and order and resentment among employees, who are unhappy with the existing National Pension System started by the Centre, are among the major poll planks. In its election manifesto, the Congress promised to revert to the old pension scheme and Rs 2,000 monthly payment to women, besides the monthly social security pension of old-age people, handicapped and widows will be raised to Rs 6,000, cooking gas cylinders at Rs 500 each and 300 units of free electricity every month to every household.

Meanwhile, despite the repealing of the controversial farm laws by the BJP-led Central government in 2022, farmers in Haryana and neighbouring Punjab are still protesting and in rural Haryana, where wrestling is a way of life, there is unhappiness over the "injustice" with women athletes over the alleged sexual harassment by a former BJP parliamentarian.

A confident Hooda told IANS there is a straight contest between the Congress and the BJP, adding that "the people are upset with government policies and they are going to show the BJP the door this time".

On the other hand, the BJP aims to achieve a hat-trick of victories, promoting its "non-stop Haryana" vision and highlighting the advantages of a double-engine government, while targeting the Congress for anti-reservation sentiments, and dynastic politics. The BJP has made 20 promises, and interestingly, five of these overlap with those in the Congress’ "7 Guarantees".

The BJP claims its 53-page ‘Sankalp Patra’ is more realistic with its resolve for “non-stop development of Haryana” than its rival Congress’ “populist” manifesto. The Congress says the BJP’s manifesto has stamped failures of its own government as it could not fulfil promises made in the 2014 and 2019 polls.

Political observers told IANS that rising unemployment, deteriorating law and order, unrest among government employees and lack of a legal mechanism for procuring crops under the minimum support price (MSP) mechanism are major roadblocks for the BJP’s third stint. They contend that the Congress may have an edge over the BJP, which experienced a major revolt and multiple resignations with rebels contesting as Independents, including against CM Saini.

Showcasing the importance of the polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held four rallies, while Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi held road shows and election meetings for three consecutive days. Home Minister Amit Shah, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, UP Chief Minister Yogi Aditynath, AAP national convenor and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also addressed rallies in the state.

(Vishal Gulati can be contacted at vishal.g@ians.in)