Haryana Election Result 2024: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is set to form the government in Haryana for the third consecutive time, overcoming apparent anti-incumbency and significant losses in the Lok Sabha elections. This victory comes despite BJP's tally in the Lok Sabha dropping from 10 seats in 2019 to five and exit polls predicting a Congress government following this election.
Haryana Election Result: BJP Credits PM Modi For Historic Third Term
Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the BJP's victory as a triumph of truth, development, and good governance. Speaking to party workers at the BJP headquarters, Modi declared that "the people of Haryana have stamped out falsehood."
Modi criticised the Congress, accusing the party of trying to provoke various sections of society. He stated, "Congress wants to weaken the country by weakening Indian society and spreading anarchy. They are constantly trying to ignite a fire. The country saw how attempts were made to instigate farmers, but the farmers of Haryana gave them a befitting reply." He added that despite attempts to provoke Dalits, OBCs, and other communities, these groups stood with the BJP.
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Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, while addressing reporters, thanked the voters and attributed the victory to Modi's leadership. "I give full credit to Modi ji. With his blessings, under his guidance, the people of Haryana have put a stamp on the government's policies," he said, as quoted by news agency PTI. Saini also thanked party workers for their hard work, which he claimed was instrumental in BJP's success.
Former CM and Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar echoed similar sentiments, noting that people had appreciated the BJP's ten-year tenure in Haryana. Khattar said, "People have given a mandate to the BJP in Haryana for a third consecutive term on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's policies, achievements, and way of functioning, and rejected the Congress and its lies." Khattar, who was replaced by Saini in March, stressed that the results were a sign of approval for BJP's decade-long rule.
Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri slammed the Congress's EVM rigging charge, saying, "If the EVM is not working then how did it work in J&K? They are finding faults after losing... They are bad losers. First, they lowered the political discourse... Democracy should be celebrated (in J&K). After the abrogation of Article 370, the situation has changed. There was a stone-pelting industry. Now, there is tourism and civil aviation... It is historical..."
Haryana Election Result: Congress Cries Foul Over EVMs
The Congress, in contrast, strongly opposed the election results. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge remarked that the results were unexpected and raised doubts about the integrity of the counting process and functioning of electronic voting machines (EVMs) in certain districts. “The result of Haryana is unexpected, and the party is assessing the public mandate," Kharge said, urging Congress workers not to be disappointed and to continue their fight against "dictatorship."
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh in a presser alleged manipulation in the election process. He highlighted complaints from districts like Hisar, Mahendragarh, and Panipat regarding discrepancies in EVM performance. According to Ramesh, EVMs with 99% battery saw the BJP winning, while those with less battery showed Congress victories. "Ye loktantra ki haar hui hai aur tantra ki jeet hui hai" (Democracy has lost, and the establishment has won), he remarked.
Senior Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda, expressing his shock at the results, said, “The results have left us 'achambhit' (stunned), and the BJP must also be 'achambhit'. These results are opposite to what the atmosphere was in the state." He added that Congress would probe the role of 'tantar' (system) in the unexpected outcome.
Knives were out as the election outcome became clear. Kumari Selja, a veteran Congress leader, expressed her disappointment over the party's performance, calling for serious introspection, perceived as targeting the Hooda family. "The Haryana poll results are disappointing, and I am pained at the disappointment of the Congress workers in the state who have worked very hard. It will not be business as usual in Haryana, and I am sure the Congress high command would identify those who negated the efforts to bring the party to power after 10 years," she stated.
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Haryana Election Result: AAP Blames Congress 'Shortcomings' For BJP's Return Amid Own Rout
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) took a swipe at the Congress despite its own rout in the assembly polls. Party chief Arvind Kejriwal commented, "The biggest lesson from Haryana is that one should never be overconfident in elections." He pointed out that despite anti-incumbency against the BJP, the Congress and AAP had failed to stitch a pre-poll alliance, leading to their defeats.
AAP's state chief Sushil Gupta claimed that had there been an alliance similar to the Lok Sabha elections, the outcome might have been different. He also remarked that several AAP leaders faced imprisonment on false charges during the campaign, hampering their performance.
On Haryana election results, AAP leader Manish Sisodia told news agency ANI, "BJP had done nothing for Haryana, despite that, Congress failed to win because of shortcomings in their strategy. Haryana wanted to defeat BJP..."
Haryana Election Result: INLD and JJP's Decimation
The Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), which had emerged as a kingmaker in the previous assembly polls, was decimated in this election. The JJP failed to win a single seat, a significant fall from the 10 seats it had secured in 2019. Dushyant Chautala, who sought re-election from Uchana Kalan, suffered a crushing defeat, finishing fifth behind BJP, Congress, and two independent candidates. BJP's Devender Attri narrowly defeated Congress' Brijendra Singh in this constituency by just 32 votes.
Dushyant's uncle, Abhay Singh Chautala, also faced defeat in Ellenabad, where he lost to Congress' Bharat Singh Beniwal by a margin of 15,000 votes. The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) won only two seats, a modest improvement from its performance in 2019. The INLD had contested in alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) but failed to make any significant impact.
Haryana Election Result: BSP Chief Mayawati Blames 'Casteist' Mindset Of Jats For BSP-INLD’s Poll Debacle
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati attributed her party's disappointing performance in the Haryana assembly elections to the "casteist mindset" of the Jat community in the state, advising them to change their mentality. The BSP had contested the polls in alliance with the INLD.
Taking to social media platform X, Mayawati expressed her frustration over the Jat community's voting pattern. "The BSP and the INLD fought the Haryana assembly general election in alliance. But today's result shows that the casteist people of the Jat community did not vote for the BSP due to which the party candidates lost on some seats by a small margin of votes, although the BSP's entire vote was transferred," she said.
She also called on the Jat community in Haryana to "change their mentality", drawing a comparison to the Jat community in Uttar Pradesh. "The people of the Jat community of UP have changed their casteist mentality to a great extent, and they have become MLAs from the BSP and ministers in the government. The people of the Jat community of Haryana should also follow their footsteps and change their casteist mentality. This is a special advice," she added in a Hindi post.
Meanwhile, Haryana State President of INLD Rampal Majra took to X and wrote, "Public mandate is accepted🙏🏻 We will continue to fight for the interests of Haryana…"
As the BJP celebrates its third consecutive term in Haryana, the Congress has vowed to challenge the results. Allegations of manipulation and EVM malfunctions continue to surface while the crushing defeats of JJP and INLD mark a significant shift in the political landscape of 'Jat politics' in Haryana.