Contrary to nearly all exit poll projections, the ruling BJP picked up just 40 seats in the Haryana Assembly elections and looked to seven independents and 10 MLAs of the debutant Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) to hang on to power in the 90-member House.
The Congress put up a surprisingly robust performance, winning 31 seats, while the JJP displaced the Indian National Lok Dal as Haryana’s regional force and heir to the politics of Haryana strongman Devi Lal .
The Congress and the JJP busted the BJP’s claims of winning 75-plus seats, resulting in a hung Assembly.
At one time, the BJP and the Congress were level at 35 leads, but the BJP pulled ahead by the evening, making it the single largest party within striking distance of power.
In a tweet, party president Amit Shah made it clear that the BJP would stake claim to power when he thanked the people for giving the party another chance to serve them.
The JJP, which contested its maiden election, sprang a surprise by winning 10 seats. The party could play a key role in the formation of the next government, and is scheduled to hold a meeting of its national executive and party MLAs in Delhi on Friday.
JJP leader Dushyant Chautala, who won from the Uchana Kalan, said, “Party MLAs will take a collective decision. It is too early to say anything. The MLAs will select our party leader in the House… then we will take a step further.”
Return of rebels?
The BJP, however, may not need the JJP as five of the seven independents are said to be BJP rebels.
Eight Ministers of the outgoing Manohar Lal Khattar government were rejected by the voters as was BJP State chief Subhash Barala. However, the Chief Minister himself romped home by over 45,000 votes.
Haryana Assembly election results 2019 | As it happened
The defeated ministers are Ram Bilas Sharma (Mahendergarh), Capt Abhimanyu (Narnaund), O.P. Dhankar (Badli), Kavita Jain (Sonipat), Krishan Lal Panwar (Israna), Manish Grover (Rohtak), Krishan Kumar Bedi (Shahabad) and Karan Dev Kamboj (Radaur).
Wrestlers Babita Phogat and Yogeshwar Dutt, who also ran on the BJP ticket, lost the polls.
Soon after the results were declared, veteran Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda appealed to all Opposition parties to join hands against the ruling BJP.
Mr. Hooda won from Garhi Sampla-Kiloi by a margin of 58,312 votes.
“The mandate is against the BJP. It’s time that all opposition parties — the Congress, JJP, INLD and independents — should join hands to form the next government,” Mr Hooda said in Rohtak. He alleged that the administration was putting pressure on independent legislators at the BJP’s behest.
Prominent Congress leaders who won include Kuldeep Bishnoi, who defeated his nearest rival and Tik Tok celebrity Sonali Phogat of the BJP, while Kiran Choudhary won from Tosham. However, senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala lost from Kaithal seat by just 1,246 votes.
The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) just won one seat of Ellenabad which Abhay Chautala retained. Haryana Lokhit Party (HLP) president Gopal Kanda won from Sirsa seat. Independents have won 7 Assembly seat in the State.
(with inputs from Ashok Kumar in Gurugram)
