Haryana hat-trick: Was this the Midas touch for BJP in key heartland battle?

The BJP is set to form its third successive government in Haryana. (FIle Photo: PTI)

The Bharatiya Janata Party is headed towards a certain victory with 49 of its candidates leading in the 90-member Assembly where the majority mark is 46. Defying exit poll predictions, the election results showed the people of Haryana reposing their faith in the BJP, paving way for its return to power for a record third term in the state.

A key factor behind the BJP’s victory in Haryana – its first direct contest with the Congress after the Lok Sabha elections in the heartland – is the non-Jat social engineering weaved on the ground level. With the Jats having sided against the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections, this mobilisation of Dalits, SCs, STs and non-Jat OBCs was seen as an effective counter. The BJP’s tally in the Lok Sabha elections had dropped from 10 out of ten in 2019 to 5 this time.

The RSS Factor

Among the most crucial factors that led to the BJP achieving what many saw as next to impossible was the groundwork put in by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the ideological mentor of the BJP. The organisation, which was conspicuous with its absence during the BJP’s Lok Sabha campaign, toiled hard during the Haryana elections this time.

Over the past four months, the RSS is believed to have held 16,000 small gatherings in Haryana and played a key role in winning over non-Jat voters for the BJP. RSS workers not only visited people’s homes but also informed them about the policies of the central and state governments in public places. The RSS visited all those constituencies where the BJP appeared to be weak.

Prior to the Assembly elections, several meetings were held between the BJP and RSS leaders that ranged from candidate selection to booth-level management.

Before the Campaign

The immediate aftermath of the Lok Sabha elections saw reports of acrimony between the BJP and the RSS. Several of its leaders, including Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat also hinted at the BJP’s “arrogance” and “overconfidence” as the reasons behind its lowest tally in three general elections. The remarks came weeks after BJP president JP Nadda said that the party was now “self-sufficient”.

After the Lok Sabha elections, concerted efforts were made by the party leadership to get the RSS back on board for the groundwork ahead of the Assembly elections in Haryana. The BJP sought the RSS’ help to regain the trust of rural voters as well as activate grassroots workers and party leaders.

How the RSS campaign moved

Interestingly, the RSS’ campaign did not directly seek votes for the BJP. Besides small meetings in the Haryana hinterlands, RSS workers also distributed pamphlets in several districts asking voters to step out and cast their votes.

In addition, the pamphlet asks the voters a few questions, reported The Print: “Am I voting on the basis of caste?”, “Am I considering national and state and public interest while I am casting my vote?”, “Is my vote going for (parties) spreading anarchy and creating divisions in society?” it read.

“The entire machinery of RSS karyakartas (volunteers) from top to bottom is working tirelessly for the (Haryana) elections,” the publication quoted a senior RSS leader as saying.