Hat-trick win for BJP in Haryana; INDIA front emerges victorious in Jammu and Kashmir

NEW DELHI: The BJP secured a sparkling hat-trick victory in the assembly elections in Haryana, where the Congress had hoped to make a comeback. Meanwhile, the INDIA alliance managed to defeat the BJP in Jammu and Kashmir. The results of the assembly elections, closely watched after the Lok Sabha elections, thus ended in a 1-1 score.

In Haryana, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini will continue in office, while in Jammu and Kashmir, National Conference leader Omar Abdullah will become the Chief Minister.

At one point, it seemed that the Congress would win in Haryana. However, the lead levels began to change by around 11 am. BJP's lead gradually rose and it slowly crossed the simple majority. The BJP secured 48 seats, while the Congress won 37 seats.

In the elections held in Jammu and Kashmir after ten years, the National Conference (NC) made a spectacular advance, causing the BJP to suffer a significant setback. While NC finished with 42 seats, the BJP was limited to 29. Meanwhile, Congress disappointed with its performance with its tally was reduced from 12 seats in 2014 to just six. However, since they are under the 'INDIA' front banner, they can take comfort in being part of the government. Another major party, PDP, collapsed from 28 seats to just three. Ghulam Nabi Azad's Democratic Progressive Azad Party, which broke away from Congress, failed to win any seats.

The Congress party's inability to repeat its excellent performance in the Lok Sabha elections in two states has turned into a reverse. The Congress, which questioned the credibility of EVMs (Electronic Voting Machines), accused the Election Commission of manipulating the result declaration in Haryana.

Lotus bloomed in Haryana with help of OBC and Dalit votes
1. The BJP managed to secure victory in Haryana by overcoming anti-government sentiment, farmers' anger, wrestlers' agitation etc
2. Recognizing the Jat community's drift away from the party, the BJP strategically strengthened its ties with OBC and Dalit vote banks to secure victory.
3. For the first time, the BJP has achieved hat-trick victories in Harayana It had won in 2014 and 2019 under the leadership of Manohar Lal Khattar
4. The splitting of Jat votes among smaller parties, and the Hooda-Selja conflict harmed Congress