BJP WINS, OPPOSITION RISES BJP ready to rule again, with a little help from friends
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 bestpositioned 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
NEWDELHI/CHANDIGARH/MUMBAI: A hung verdict in Haryana notwithstanding, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) appeared set on Thursday to return to power in the state as well as in Maharashtra, where the party, while diminished in numbers compared to its previous term, was in a majority along with its ally Shiv Sena.
It will not be without a fight though, with former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda trying to rally anti-bjp forces in Haryana, and the Sena indicating it would drive a hard bargain by asking for a “50-50” formula in Maharashtra.
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 POLLS HAVE ALSO BROUGHT INTO FOCUS THE INTERSECTION OF NATIONAL AND STATE ELECTIONS