Haryana Election Results: What Led To BJP's Hat-Trick — A Feat Achieved By No Party In The State

The BJP has secured a hattrick in Haryana and is all set to form a government after winning 50 seats out of 90. The Congress is trailing at 36 seats.

The BJP has secured a hattrick in Haryana and is all set to form a government after winning 50 seats out of 90. (Representational image)

Source : PTI

Haryana Election Results: The Bharatiya Janata Party scripted history on October 8 as it snatched victory from the clutches of Congress to secure a hattrick. As results started pouring in after the counting began at 8 AM on Tuesday, it seemed like a tug of war competition. However, eventually it ended up turning out in the saffron camp's favour as the party marched over the required majority mark of 46 seats, settling in at 50 seats as per the Election Commission's trends as of now.

The BJP not only defied the exit poll predictions, which forecast a landslide victory for the grand old party, but performed even better than the 2019 Haryana polls, wherein it had to ally with the Jannayak Janata Party to form government after securing 40 seats.

Here are some of the factors that might have played a role in BJP's unprecedented win: 

Change Of CM: From Manohar Khattar To Nayab Singh Saini

Nayab Singh Saini became the Chief Minister of Haryana after Manohar Lal Khattar resigned to take on the role of Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs earlier this year. Saini's appointment to the top post removed the "anti-incumbency" wave and he was the face of BJP's campaign in the state.

The party seemed to have united under Saini's leadership, while reports of infighting in the Congress, which was rather overconfident for its victory, were floating even till before the last day ahead of the voting. 

The Congress camp was however witnessing issues over the choice of the CM's face that triggered a leadership tussle. While Leader of Opposition, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, seemed like the most prominent claimant, Dalit leader Kumari Selja, expressed her desire to be the party's CM candidate. Randeep Surjewala and Deepender Hooda were some other leaders whose names surfaced as claimants of the CM chair. 

The then BJP government witnessed unrest during the 2020–2021 farmer protests against the now-repealed farm laws, witnessing massive demonstrations against both the Narendra Modi-led central government and the Khattar-led state government. The state also saw protests over the Agnipath scheme.

Choice Of Candidates 

BJP changed its approach and fielded fresh faces to combat anti-incumbency and also replacing the former CM Khattar. The BJP removed burdensome alliance partners and decided to contest the election alone, which is another factor that might have proved beneficial for the party. 

Congress, on the contrary, re-nominated 17 candidates, despite their loss in the previous 2019 elections, focusing more on the party's loyalty factor. Bhupinder Hooda pushed for his own candidates in a bid to ensure his claim to the CM's chair was strengthened if the party won.

Consolidation Of Non-Jat Voters, OBCs, Dalits

Since the 2014 Assembly elections, BJP's strategy for Haryana has been focused on targeting the non-Jat voters, Dalits, and Other Backward Class. After winning in 2014 it chose Manohar Lal Khattar as the CM, a Punjabi Khatri, in a state where the CM has mostly been from the upper-caste Jat community. The move was targeted at receiving the OBC vote, which is reportedly about 40 percent of the state's population.

In 2024, the party fought anti-incumbency and also made sure to stick to its plan of securing the OBC votes, when it elevated Nayab Singh Saini, an OBC, as Khattar's replacement.

This year too, it was confirmed early on that Nayab Singh Saini would be the BJP's CM choice, thereby ensuring that the party got the OBC support again. The move worked in BJP's favour as the party, once again, managed to woo the non-Jat voters that constitute a substantial portion of the state's electorate.

It also targeted Scheduled Caste voters by its women’s self-help groups in villages including the 'Lakhpati Drone Didis', who were often from Dalit community.

Gurmeet Ram Rahim's Parole

Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was given parole just three days ahead of the Haryana Assembly elections. This move is also believed to have played a small but impactful role in the saffron party's success.

The sect commands a massive following in the non-Jat communities and economically backward sections in the state. This can be viewed as another critical factor that played a major role in the BJP's electoral success in Haryana.