The clean sweep by ruling Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) in municipal polls in Haryana may prompt the top party leadership to advance the assembly polls by a few months and hold it with Lok Sabha election due to be held in April-May 2019.
The assembly polls in Haryana are due to be held in October 2019.
The BJP has scored a thumping victory by winning all five mayoral posts in local body election, said to be a semi-final ahead of next year’s polls assembly.
Political observers feel that buoyed by party’s big victory in civic body polls in five cities of Haryana, the BJP led by Manohar Lal Khattar is now likely to push for simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and state assembly next year.
After BJP’s victory, Chief Minister Manohar Lal had on Wednesday said that the party is ready for simultaneous elections though he expressed his apprehensions on its possibility.
Notably, in general elections held in April-May 2014, the BJP had won seven out of the eight seats it contested.
The BJP, which was riding high on the Narendra Modi wave in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections had kept up its momentum in the assembly polls later that year bagging 47 seats out of 90. In its historic maiden victory in Haryana assembly polls in October 2014, the BJP had essentially rode on the Modi momentum as well as anti-incumbency in the state ruled for ten-year by Congress Government.
The civic body election in five cities of Haryana was the first big test for Chief Minister Manohar Lal’s government after 2014. And, the saffron party registered victory with a huge margin for the seats of mayor in municipal corporations including Hisar, Rohtak, Yamunanagar, Panipat and Karnal, where direct elections were held for the first time for mayoral posts.
A Political analyst said, “After its victory, the ruling BJP is likely to push for holding Lok Sabha and assembly polls together in few states. With three BJP-ruled states — Maharashtra, Haryana and Jharkhand — scheduled to go to polls after Lok Sabha elections next year, there is a high possibility that they will recommend dissolving the state assemblies earlier and holding simultaneous polls. The BJP at the Centre has been toying with the idea since long.”
“There is a general view within the party that BJP’s win in municipal polls would extend its advantage heading into the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. The simultaneous polls is seen as a political advantage to the BJP, as it would also undercut anti-incumbency factor,” according to the political analysts.
“There is no empirical evidence that voters vote differently for state elections and national elections. But the results of Lok Sabha would have its bearing on the assembly polls scheduled later in 2019. Any slide in the BJP’s fortunes in general elections 2019 might make it harder for the party to return in Haryana later that year. So, an early assembly polls would be BJP’s best bet in Haryana,” they added.
With barely a few months to go for 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP and the opposition parties are in favour of an early assembly polls.
On possibility of simultaneous elections of Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha next year, Chief Minister Manohar Lal has said that the party is ready for simultaneous elections.
Manohar Lal had termed the municipal election victory as a stamp of approval of people of the state on the welfare policies of the present State Government.
He also said that the party hoped that people of Haryana would continue supporting it in the similar fashion and ensure BJP’s victory in the forthcoming Jind by-election, Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections slated to be held in 2019.
In a direct election to five mayoral posts, the main opposition party INLD and its alliance partner BSP, which were contesting on four seats had faced a severe beating and was even behind the independents.
However, Indian National Lok Dal, Haryana chief Ashok Arora has also advocated for holding Lok Sabha and assembly polls together.
“The INLD-BSP alliance is ready for early polls. The assembly polls in Haryana should be clubbed with general elections 2019,” said Ashok Arora while talking to The Pioneer.
Even the BJP wants to hold an early assembly polls. There is no wave this time and the ruling BJP is fully aware of its declining popularity, Arora said.
Haryana Congress chief Ashok Tanwar said, it seems unlikely that both polls would be held together but the Congress is in favour of holding Lok Sabha and assembly polls simultaneously in Haryana.
“We are ready for it. But after losing assembly elections in five states recently, the BJP seems afraid of an early assembly polls, Tanwar added.