In just over a month’s time, the people of Haryana will decide whether strong currents of anti-incumbency will wash the Congress party away in the State or the Modi wave, which swept the nation four months back, bring the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to power.
The electorate on October 15 will also decide the fate of Indian National lok Dal (INlD), which has been out of power for a decade. The three major political parties are locked in the multi-cornered battle for 90 Assembly segments of the State.
The ruling Congress, under the leadership of its two-time Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, is already on a back foot especially after the recent lok Sabha poll drubbing.
The party, in its worst ever performance in the recallable past, could manage to retain just one Parliamentary seat out of the total 10 in Haryana. Its stalwarts and even sitting MPs, including its State president Ashok Tanwar, Naveen Jindal, Sampat Singh, Shruti Choudhry, among others, faced defeat on the remaining nine seats.
What is more, the party is afflicted with the inner party rift on the leadership issue that has resulted in an exodus of its several stalwarts to the BJP. Its senior party leader and Rajya Sabha member Chaudhary Birender Singh has recently gave up the “hand”, to hold the “lotus”.
Before him, many other senior leaders including Rao Inderjit Singh had joined the BJP before lok Sabha polls giving huge setback to the party and its image in the State.
Making things worse for the Congress, the anti-incumbency factor existing in the State is so strong against the party as manifested in the 2014 general elections, held in April.
Under all these circumstances, the Congress is striving hard to save its lost glory, which is also considered to be must for the party’s existence.
Claiming to be all ready for the elections, party’s spokesperson Ran Singh Mann said: “We have finalised the copy of manifesto and it could be released any time now…We have also finalised on most of the seats and few still remain. First list of candidates is expected to release in the coming week and second would take some time.”
BJP, on the other hand, is basking in its lok Sabha victory, and is expecting to form its Government in the State after a long gap, or may be for the first time 'on its own'.
Notwithstanding, the saffron party was also marred by infighting soon after the first list of candidates was released. Several aspirants, who failed to get ticket, had raised the banner of revolt, while few left the party in anguish.
The party, that managed to sweep the lok Sabha elections on the name of its charismatic leader Narendra Modi, may now have to struggle hard after the new Government at the Centre, on the face of it, failed to bring any major relief for the people in terms of price rise, among other things.
Having a good combination of candidates, including a stalwart jaat, ahirwal and Brahmin leaders from the Congress besides its own committed workers, this Assembly election appears to be a golden, or may be the last, chance for the BJP to make a mark in the State.
The INlD, which once used to hold a great command in the jaat vote bank, is also seen struggling in the absence of its party chief Om Prakash Chautala, his son Ajay Chautala, who are behind bar in infamous JBT recruitment case since May 2014.
In their place, son of Ajay Chautala — Dushyant — is holding the party reins along with his uncle and Chautala’s second son Abhay Chautala. Dushyant has proved his might by becoming the youngest MP by defeating his nearest rival and sitting Hisar MP Kuldeep Bishnoi of Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC) by a margin of 31,847 votes in 2014 polls.
Out of power since the past two terms, the INlD cadre is dispirited following its INlD defeat in all the four consecutive general elections held since 2000. INlD lost two Assembly elections for Haryana in 2005 and 2009, besides failing to win even a single seat in lok Sabha in 2004 and 2009 general elections.
However, the party won two seats in 2014 parliamentary polls, giving a new ray of hope. Even stronger resurgence of the BJP, which had fought in alliance with HJC, in the state seemed to have overshadowed its chances.
Welcoming the announcement of dates for State Assembly elections, INlD leader Abhay Chautala said: “It would halt the illegal activities of Congress and Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.” The party is expected to announce the names of its remaining candidates.
As ever, the Congress is taking its own time to open its cards, while the INlD is a frontrunner in announcing its candidates, along with the party’s poll manifesto. BJP, which has recently announced names of its 43 candidates, is yet to disclose its poll promises.
At the same time, the presence of new parties — Gopal Kanda led Haryana lokhit Party, and Venod Sharma’s Haryana Jan Chetna Party — are expected to change the political equations of the major political parties in the State.