BJP WINS, OPPOSITION RISES Khattar ready to rule again, with help from friends
MAHA, HARYANA POLLS Written off by most exit pollsters, opposition parties put up a creditable fight but BJP fends off challenge
NEWDELHI: In the first set of state elections after the Lok Sabha polls, the Bharatiya Janata Party (Bjp)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won a simple, but not an overwhelming, majority in Maharashtra, paving the way for Devendra Fadnavis, provided the Shiv Sena supports him, to become the first chief minister in over four decades (since Vasantrao Naik) to return to power after a full five-year term.
But defying most expectations, the BJP failed to cross the halfway mark in Haryana, with the state throwing up a hung assembly. This left some uncertainty about who will form the next government and raised questions about the future of incumbent chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, although analysts said it was likely that the party would eventually form the government with the assistance of independents, the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP), or other smaller parties.
The October 21 elections, while reinforcing the ruling party’s status as the country’s political hegemon, was marked by a surprisingly robust performance by the Opposition — particularly the Congress and the JJP in Haryana, and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in Maharashtra. This has meant a dip in the BJP’S seats compared to its previous tally in both states in 2014, though, to be sure, the party contested far fewer seats this time in Maharashtra since it was in an alliance.
The elections have thrown up a paradox. The BJP has technically won one state (Maharashtra) and remains best-positioned to form the government in the other (Haryana). But the Opposition has politically scored in both by improving its performance and defying the widely held perception that it would be a clean sweep for the BJP, based on its recent Lok Sabha performance. The polls have also brought into focus the intersection of national and state elections, national and state issues, national and local leaders, and the salience of both identity politics and economic concerns.
In Maharashtra, out of 288 seats, the BJP won 105 and the Sena 56 — which gives the NDA a comfortable 161 seats to form government . The nature of the power-sharing arrangement between the two is, however, uncertain. At a press conference after the results came in on Thursday afternoon, Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray called it a mandate in their favour, but insisted that the “50-50” deal, as agreed to between the two parties, which may entail chief ministership (if only for two-and-half years) for the Sena, must be respected. The NCP, led by the veteran Sharad Pawar, won 54 seats and the Congress came fourth with 44 seats. The big shock for the BJP came in Haryana. Out of 90 assembly seats, the party won 40, down from 47 in 2014. The Congress, led by former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, came in a close second with 31 seats, up from the 15 seats it held in the previous assembly.
CHANDIGARH/NEW DELHI: A hung verdict in Haryana notwithstanding, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) appeared set on Thursday to return to power in the state.
It will not be without a fight though, with former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda trying to rally anti-bjp forces in Haryana.
According to provisional results released on Thursday, the BJP fell six victories short of the 46 it required to form a government in Haryana, having ceded ground to the Congress (which doubled its 2014 tally to reach 31) and the Jannayak Janta Party (formed late last year after breaking away from the Indian National Lok Dal to reach a tally of 10).
According to party functionaries, Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar will meet the governor on Friday to stake claim and BJP strategists have opened up a two-pronged approach to win over new allies: approaching independent candidates and the INLD on the one hand and reaching out to JJP on the other.
“The BJP is pinning hopes on the support from five independent MLAS who fought independently after being denied a ticket, and two others to reach the magic figure,” this person added, asking not to be named.
“We also expect to get the support of the lone legislators of the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and Haryana Lokhit Party (HLP),” a second person, based in New Delhi, added.
INLD leader Abhay Singh
Chautala won from Ellenabad and Gopal Kanda of HLP from Sirsa. Chautala expelled his nephew Dushyant, following which the latter floated the JJP – which emerged as one of the big winners in this election.