NEW DELHI: As results came in for assembly elections in Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir, the mandate gave a thumbs up to the National Conference (NC) and Congress alliance in Jammu and Kashmir. But the big surprise came for Haryana where Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) gave a surprise and is set to make a government in the state for historic third time.
There are 90 assembly seats up for grabs in both Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir with the majority mark of 46.It was a high-stakes prestige battle for several heavyweights in these assembly elections. Here’s a look at the top winners and losers of these elections.
WINNERS
1. Democracy
This list cannot start without mentioning that elections were held in Jammu and Kashmir after a decade. This assembly election held a lot of significance as in the last 10 years, Jammu and Kashmir underwent major changes, the most important being the abrogation of Article 370. This was also the first election after the region lost statehood. Stakes were also high after the delimitation process that had led to redrawn constituencies and modified the reservation system for Scheduled Castes and Tribes, introducing significant changes to the region’s electoral framework.
Despite all this, the election in Jammu and Kashmir, was just as normal as any other state/UT in the country. The voting was done in three phases and concluded peacefully in all the regions amid tight security. Jammu and Kashmir recorded an overall polling percentage of 63.45, higher than the recently held Lok Sabha elections. This election also was historic as three communities — West Pakistan Refugees, Valmikis and Gurkhas — voted for the first time.
2. National Conference
It was a straight-out fight for the existence of the National Conference and the Abdullahs in Jammu and Kashmir. As the counting of votes started on Tuesday, NC vice president Omar Abdullah went off a 7k run in Srinagar and posted selfies on X. In the end, the results made him and his party one of the biggest winners of the Jammu and Kashmir assembly election results.
The party was last in power in 2009-14 with Omar Abdullah as the chief minister chair. NC was not only fighting with its arch-rival Mehbooba Mufti’s PDP but also with BJP for which it joined hands with Congress in pre-poll alliance.
In an election which was held after a decade, people gave a big thumbs up to Abdullah’s NC.
Omar Abdullah, who contested from Ganderbal and Budgam, is leading in both constituencies.
3. BJP
Proving all the exit poll results wrong, the BJP gave a surprise securing a majority mark in Haryana. In a climate where the party was fighting anti-incumbency, a strong perception battle amid protests by farmers and wrestlers, the party clearly came out a winner by securing power in the state for historic third term.
Earlier, all the exit polls had written off the party and given a clear mandate to Congress.
The party’s decision to replace Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar with Nayab Singh Saini just months before the assembly elections also seems to have paid off.
4. The Modi magic
The election results showed that Modi magic which started in 2014, continues to work for BJP. The party has time and again relied on the PM for the election campaign. In the run-up to the election, PM Modi blasted Congress for its alleged divisive and negative politics. He also named Robert Vadra to allege corruption by Congress in land deals. In the campaigns, he directly hit out at the party for “corruption, casteism and nepotism”.
The BJP also pushed for “double-engine sarkar” with the BJP at the center and the state, which the party claims makes the initiatives and development work faster.
5. Vinesh Phogat
In Haryana, Congress has lost, and its heavyweight Bhupinder Hooda has lost but one candidate who has managed to win big just months after losing a major medal in Olympics is Vinesh Phogat. The wrestler, who joined Congress just days before the elections, won her poll debut from Julana seat. In a “nationalism” fight, BJP had fielded former Indian Army captain and commercial pilot Yogesh Bajrangi against her.
Her party might have lost the final in Haryana, but she has come out as a winner.
LOSERS
1. Exit polls
The assembly election results of Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir surprised many and the biggest losers of the day have to be the exit polls and pollsters. Defying all the exit polls, BJP managed to secure a historic third term in Haryana. All the pollsters had given a clear majority to Congress.
The exit polls were a bit close in Jammu and Kashmir, but not accurate. The pollsters had given a verdict of a hung assembly in J&K with a lead to the NC-Congress alliance. The actual results, however, gave a clear mandate to the alliance.
2. Congress and Rahul Gandhi
The biggest loser of this assembly election has turned out to be Congress and Rahul Gandhi who failed to translate the momentum of Lok Sabha election gains. Just five months ago, the party was on a high after it secured 99 seats out of total 543. With this, Rahul Gandhi also became the face of the anti-BJP INDIA bloc and leader of the opposition in Lok Sabha.
Despite this, Congress could not stop BJP in Haryana which was already fighting anti-incumbency. Congress also failed to garner votes with the help of farmers and wrestlers who are in a direct fight with the BJP government. In fact, in an embarrassment, the party office which was upbeat with dhols, sweets and celebrations early morning, had to pause the celebrations mid-way as the results started tilting in favour of BJP.
In Jammu and Kashmir, Congress will be able to be part of the government but only by piggybacking on the National Conference. It was understood that the NC came into a pre-poll alliance with Congress to help consolidate wins in the Jammu region where BJP holds dominance. In fact, during the election campaign, Omar Abdullah had openly questioned Rahul Gandhi’s absence for the Jammu campaign. “I hope after Rahul is done campaigning in one or two seats in Kashmir, he focuses on Jammu. Ultimately what the Congress does in Kashmir is not important. What the Congress does in Jammu is important,” Abdullah had said.
The party, however, failed to make any significant damage to BJP in the region.
3. Bhupinder Hooda
Early in the day, as the trends turned in favour of BJP which spun a surprise by coming out as the single largest party in Haryana, former CM Bhupinder Hooda put out a brave face and still claimed that Congress will form the government in Haryana. Congress failed to take advantage of 2024 Lok Sabha elections momentum and one who would be questioned would be Bhupinder Hooda. Hooda was firmly backed by Congress high command and at least 70 candidates fielded by the Congress were supported by his camp.
His rival Selja, who comes with the backing of Dalit community, stayed away from campaigning for the most part. Hooda’s open rivalry with Shelja and his over-reliance on Jat community seems to hurt Congress in the state.
4. PDP and Mehbooba Mufti
In Jammu and Kashmir, it was a no-show for Mehbooba Mufti’s PDP as the NC-Congress alliance came up with a spectacular show. Mehbooba Mufti, who was the last CM of the state 10 years ago, failed to make any mark in assembly elections. She and her arch-rival Omar Abdullah were fighting for relevance and existence. Part of the INDIA bloc at the national level, her party did not tie up with the Congress-NC alliance and went solo in the UT. It was, however, a no-show for PDP in Jammu and Kashmir.
5. AAP and Arvind Kejriwal
The Aam Aadmi Party’s efforts to make inroads in Haryana, the native state of its leader Arvind Kejriwal hit a roadblock once again as the results were a complete washout. The AAP had campaigned on the strength of its popular governments in neighboring Delhi and Punjab. The Haryana results come at a time when Arvind Kejriwal has relinquished his position as Delhi’s chief minister, stating that he will only resume the post if the AAP forms a government after next year’s assembly elections.
While the Haryana elections may not directly impact Delhi, a failure to secure even a single seat after contesting nearly all of them could dampen the spirits of AAP workers.