Five key reasons behind BJP's electoral triumph in Haryana

File photo: Prime Minister Narendra Modi being felicitated by Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Saini during a public meeting (PTI)

Haryana has voted BJP to power for a third straight term in a verdict that defied all predictions and yet again cemented the saffron party's unchallenged dominance in the Hindi heartland. The party has posted its best-ever performance in Haryana till date, surprising even the most discerning poll pundits as nearly every exit poll had predicted a BJP rout and Congress comeback in the state. The latest EC tally shows BJP winning 48 out of 90 seats in the state and Congress securing 37.

Haryana election results: Highlights

The result has also triggered some mud-slinging, with Congress suspecting foulplay in the counting process and questioning the integrity of the outcome. But away from all the politics, the actual story of Haryana result is about getting the poll math correct and having the right strategy in place. As BJP rejoices an impressive hattrick, here's a look at the factors that actually worked for the party in Haryana:

The Saini gambit

BJP's decision to pick low-profile OBC leader Nayab Singh Saini as its chief minister in the state has clearly reaped rich dividends. Saini replaced strongman Manohar Lal Khattar, who resigned from the post in March after the alliance with JJP fell apart. Saini's elevation came at a time when BJP had its back to the wall in the state due to rising anti-incumbency and Jat resentment. Even the results of Lok Sabha polls, in which BJP lost half its seats, reflected the anti-BJP sentiment in the state. The opposition targeted BJP over a host of issues, ranging from farmer distress, jobs, Agnipath scheme and inflation. However, Saini managed to reverse some of this anger by taking populist decisions. For instance, he approved the Agniveer policy to offer jobs to Agniveers after the completition of their tour of duty. He also approved proposal to buy 10 more crops at MSP (minimum support price). In all, he took over a 100-odd decisions during over two months in office before the model code of conduct kicked in.

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Non-Jat vote consolidation

One of the biggest factors that swung the election BJP's way was the consolidation of dalit and OBC votes in the saffron party's favour. The first move was to elevate Saini, an OBC leader, to the ranks of CM. The party also wooed SC voters through women’s self-help groups in villages with initiatives like 'Lakhpati Drone Didis'. It also raised the ceiling for creamy layer of OBCs to Rs 8 lakh from Rs 6 lakh earlier as well as the quota for backward classes in Group A and Group B posts, from 15 per cent to 27 per cent. Notably, OBCs are estimated at be around 40% of Haryana's total population. The consolidation of backward classes helped the party offset the Jat anger sentiment. The results reflected this since BJP has won 20 of 25 OBC-dominant seats (seats with significant non-Jat OBC populations) in Haryana. Moreover, the Jat anger did not sting BJP as badly as anticipated. The party won 13 out of 30 seats in Jat-dominated regions while Congress bagged 15. This indicates that the Jat votes got evenly split between the two national parties.

Source: News18

Social engineering

While Congress gave a third of its tickets to Jat candidates to tap into the perceived anger of the community against BJP, the saffron party adopted a balanced approach. It chose a mix of OBC and upper caste candidates. The party also gave tickets to 60 fresh faces while Congress opted for many candidates pushed by Bhupinder Hooda. The grand old party fielded as many as 17 candidates who have lost earlier, including state chief Udai Bhan. The Haryana Congress chief lost in the just-concluded elections as well.

RSS push

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) fact cannot be discounted in BJP's Haryana victory since the Sangh workers gave grassroot support to the party. The RSS cadre held hundreds of gatherings in Haryana targeted at wooing the non-Jat voter base. According to reports, RSS workers visited constituencies where BJP was on a weak footing and helped strengthen its base. A report in The Print said that thousands of RSS workers went door-to-door in over 6,000 villages in Haryana to canvass for the saffron party. This was a marked reversal from the Lok Sabha elections, when RSS cadre were reportedly conscipicous by their absence.

Divided opposition

Despite having the right momentum following the Lok Sabha elections, Congress seems to have lost the plot due to infighting and factionalism in Haryana. The internal jostle between Bhupinder Hooda and Kumari Selja - a key Dalit leader - kept coming to the fore time and again. The Hooda camp eventually prevailed within the party, with former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda managing to secure a lion's share of the tickets for his loyalists. Hooda did not even pay heed to Rahul Gandhi's desire to stitch an alliance with INDIA bloc ally Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the state. Other opposities parties like JJP, INLD and Azad Samaj Party also contested separately, leading to a split in anti-BJP vote. All this eventually helped saffron party go past the finishing line.