'Vote Bank Was On Holiday': BJP's Justification For Defeat In Haryana Civic Polls

Explaining the defeat, Sanjay Sharma, BJP spokesperson for Haryana, said that most of the party’s vote bank was not present in the state as December 25, 26, 27 were holidays and people tend to go out on trips.

BJP Flag | Representative Photo: PTI

After a major loss in the civic body elections in Haryana, Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday explained the reason for loss. The ruling BJP-JJP combine won only one of three mayoral seats for which elections were held. The elections for Mayor were held in the cities of Ambala, Panchkula, and Sonipat on Sunday. The Congress and the Haryana Jan Chetna Party won the mayoral posts in Sonipat and Ambala while the BJP won the Panchkula seat narrowly. Explaining the defeat, Sanjay Sharma, BJP spokesperson for Haryana, said that most of the party’s vote bank was on holiday. "December 25, 26, 27 were holidays. And you know in December when the year is ending and when there's a bunch of holidays, people tend to go out on long trips. Unfortunately, most of those who went on holiday were people who make the BJP's vote bank," Sharma said. The defeat comes after the BJP-JJP led government came to power in the state one year ago, and the elections took place amid the protests over three agriculture laws passed by the BJP at the center in September. Assem Goel, BJP MLA from Ambala said the elections were “BJP against everyone”. He further added that when the government does good work, the opposition joins hands to stop the government. "When the government does good work, everyone joins hands to stop the government from accomplishing goals. This is what's happening in Haryana. Their agenda is meaningless, they have no real goals. All they want is to stop the BJP. They will work out their differences later, but first let's tackle the BJP, this is what they think," Goel said. READ | Act Against Amazon & Flipkart For FDI, FEMA Violations: Govt Directs ED, RBI Not only the BJP is facing heat from the voters in the state but it may also get some setback from its ally. JJP President Dushyant Chautala, grandson of former CM of the state Om Prakash Chautala, had earlier said that he would quit if unable to ensure Minimum Support Price (MSP) - a key demand of protesting farmers. The JJP leader has also faced boycott from his constituency last week after villagers dug up a temporary helipad ahead of a scheduled public event. Amid widespread anger over the center's contentious farm laws, a lot of villages in Haryana have called for a complete boycott of all the members of the ruling coalition.