Congress loses top position among allies in Maharashtra, Jharkhand

Former CM and Haryana Congress MP Bhupinder Singh Hooda on his arrival in Rohtak to address the media on the Haryana Assembly election results on October 8, 2024. | Photo credit: PTI

The results of the assembly elections in Haryana are “surprising, contrary to popular opinion and cannot be accepted”, the Congress said on Tuesday (October 8, 2024) after suffering a shock defeat in the northern Indian state for the third consecutive time.

Congress general secretary (communication) Jairam Ramesh and his colleague Pawan Khera at a press conference questioned the “integrity” of the counting process and alleged that party candidates lost in constituencies where the batteries of electronic voting machines “have a battery life of 99”. % compared to 60-70%. There are 12 to 14 constituencies from where complaints have been received and the party will submit them to the Election Commission, they added.

Haryana Assembly Election Results LIVE Updates

“The Congress did not lose, but had to lose. Nothing new has been heard about the Haryana results,” Mr. Ramesh said, adding, “Under these circumstances, it is not possible for us to accept these results (in Haryana)… our candidates have raised serious issues that.” We will discuss it with the EC.”

Commenting on the results of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), Mr. Ramesh said, “People have given a befitting reply to those who trampled on the respect of J&K by depriving it of its statehood.” The NC Congress government will all Make efforts to restore statehood to J&K.”

But the surprise defeat in Haryana and an underperforming performance in J&K, contrary to election results predictions, raise questions about their immediate and long-term political impact.

The loss of Haryana has put an end to the narrative that the Congress under the leadership of Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi was on the path to revival. Since 2018, Himachal Pradesh is the only state in north India that the Congress has won and the latest setback will impact the party's electoral prospects in Delhi and Punjab.

Also read | Haryana Election Results 2024: Constituency wise trends, top marks and wins

However, the most immediate impact would be the party's position within the Maha Vikas Aghadhi (MVA) ahead of the assembly elections in Maharashtra, where it emerged as the single largest party in the 2024 Lok Sabha election. Amid reports that the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena wants to fight for the maximum number of seats in the upcoming elections and is eyeing the chief minister's position, the setback in Haryana leaves very little scope to take a hard line in the seat-sharing talks to negotiate.

Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha member Priyanka Chaturvedi pointed out that the Congress once again lost in a direct fight against the BJP despite being anti-incumbency in Haryana. “The dharma of the coalition is that allies should talk to each other and not through the media,” Mr. Ramesh responded.

Even in Jharkhand, where the Congress is part of the governing alliance with the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, the party would have to play a subordinate role.

The campaign narrative fails

The focus of the congressional campaign on “Kisan, Jawan Aur Pehelewan (Peasants, Soldiers and Wrestlers)” to highlight the problems of farmers, youth resistance to the Agniveer program in the armed forces and the mistreatment of protesting female wrestlers failed.

“All these issues were also the issues of the Jat community and they did not resonate with the non-Jat voters,” said a senior leader involved in the Haryana campaign. If the BJP benefited from a perceived consolidation of non-Jat votes, reports that party veteran and Dalit leader Kumari Selja was sidelined by former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda reinforced the image that the Congress is primarily a Jat be a party.

As with Kamal Nath in Madhya Pradesh and Bhupesh Baghel in Chhattisgarh, over-reliance on Mr Hooda's leadership and the complacency of party workers cost the party. “It will not be business as usual in Haryana and I am sure the Congress high command will identify those who rejected the efforts to bring the party to power after 10 years,” Ms Selja told reporters.