New Delhi: The cheerful and upbeat atmosphere in Congress in the run-up to the Haryana Assembly elections turned into a nightmare on Tuesday as the election results gave the BJP a clear mandate and absolute majority, despite the latter facing a three-time anti-incumbency.
The unexpected defeat of Congress and the ‘surprising’ victory of BJP have left many in shock.
The biggest talking point now is how Congress lost the plot and gave away its much-anticipated victory to the BJP. Exit polls and political experts also concurred with a strong Congress wave in the state.
Bickering, infighting and internal squabbles over gaining party supremacy are the key reasons behind Congress’s below-par performance. These issues not only distracted the party from its campaign but also led to a lack of unity and coordination, which are crucial for a successful electoral strategy. As different factions under Bhupinder Hooda and Kumari Selja cropped up within the state unit, it did no good to the party and only weakened its clout.
Even before the Assembly elections, the Haryana Congress was split wide open, with several factions emerging within the state unit. Internal squabbling had begun, with party veterans including Bhupinder Hooda, Kumari Selja and Randeep Surjewala all angling for the Chief Minister post. They didn’t shy away from making their ambition public. The party high command, led by Rahul Gandhi, made several attempts to quell the discontent and discord within, including mediation and appeals for unity, but these efforts were largely unsuccessful.
Despite facing strong anti-incumbency, farmers’ wrath, and wrestlers’ protests, the BJP’s unity and resilience led them to a record third term in power.
Congress’ hopes of a comeback have been shattered, and there are no external forces to blame. The party’s internal issues have led to its removal from the electoral race, despite being the ‘favourites’ to win Haryana.
Union Minister Enjoys Breakfast with Rickshaw, Cart Pullers in Dibrugarh
The factional feud, led by Hooda and Selja and their collective rejection of Rahul’s idea, is seen as another reason for shock electoral loss. Their Internal quarrels and squabbles played out in the open as both Hooda and Selja pitched for their candidates during ticket distribution.
As Hooda’s 72 ‘loyalists’ got a greater share in ticket allocation, the sulking Selja opted out of the party’s campaign for about two weeks. The Congress high command only brought her after coaxing and cajoling her.
Shailja, the Dalit face of Congress, gave the BJP further ammunition to trade more barbs at the divided party.
Just before ticket allocation for Assembly elections, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi had mooted the idea of stitching a pre-poll alliance with INDIA bloc allies, including AAP, but state unit leaders rejected it. The reason was – their belief and overconfidence that anti-incumbency would dislodge Nayab Singh Saini’s government from power. Also, the party’s remarkable performance in Lok Sabha elections gave it hope of a rebound in the state, but that came a cropper.
Congress party’s debacle in the 2019 Assembly elections was also attributed to an internal feud. With the 2024 Assembly elections going the same way, the party seems to have learnt no lessons from past mistakes.
For more updates Subscribe to Media Eye News
–IANS
