Uncertainty dogs major political parties
CHANDIGARH: The political situation in Haryana appears extremely fluid ahead of the assembly polls, heightening the prospects of a split verdict.
The BJP did unexpectedly well to win seven of the eight Parliament seats. But the party is not expected to repeat its Lok Sabha performance in the assembly polls as it has failed to project its chief ministerial candidate. It also has the daunting task of choosing candidates for the 90 constituencies.
The BJP is aware banking on Prime Minister Narendra Modi might not pay this time. It had a tough time finding credible faces for the Lok Sabha seats; only three had a saffron background. The others were former Congressmen and party hoppers.
BJP’s alliance with Kuldeep Bishnoi’s Haryana Janhit Congress too appears shaky.
The Congress is in disarray after the drubbing in the Lok Sabha polls. Desertions, bitter infighting and rebellion by veteran party leader Birender Singh are not helping its cause.
Chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, who faced hostility from party workers and rival factions at several meetings recently, has been on a sopdisbursal spree since November 2013. But he courted controversy following a move to establish a separate Gurdwara management committee for Haryana.
The hopes of Indian National Lok Dal, which performed well in the Lok Sabha polls, rest on the outcome of a petition in Delhi High Court challenging the conviction of party chieftain Om Prakash Chautala in a corruption case. The BJP might team up with INLF, an old ally, if he is acquitted.