‘Mhara Modi, Mhara Manohar’ screamed a massive banner on the Grand Trunk (GT) Road near Gharaunda Toll Plaza, Karnal, in Haryana. Connecting Delhi to Chandigarh, the GT Road, also called the NH 44, was full of many election banners and posters as the Haryana campaign peaked on May 25.
About three months earlier, it was well-established and clear that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was coming back into power with the BJP repeating its tally in Haryana—however, a lot changed in these weeks.
The first shock was Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar dissolving his government. He stepped down from the helm and offered it to his mentee and party president, Nayab Saini. It was indeed a big surprise. Nobody had anticipated this. Around four years ago, when the BJP and JJP formed a coalition government in Haryana, many people, including some critical aides of the CM, believed the coalition would last until the elections. But nobody thought that the CM would be the one announcing it, stepping down, and giving up his legislative seat from Karnal.
It was selfless and surprisingly bold, but who’s to expect otherwise? A few days later, CM Manohar Lal’s name was on the list of Lok Sabha candidates from the BJP. This lifted the entire state and put everyone in election mode. Everyone began talking, from Bhupinder Singh Hooda to Abhay Chautala, Kumari Shelja to Sushil Gupta, and Naveen Jaihind to Naveen Jindal!
The BJP’s ticket distribution was surprising. Early on, it became clear that the BJP understands and believes that the country relies on PM Modi’s leadership. And in the general elections, there is only one face: Narendra Modi. Whoever the candidate may be, she or he is a representative of the symbol Lotus and sent by Modi. This works very well for the party’s cadre, but what about the others? This is an open question.
Take the case of Hisar, where Ranjit Chautala was given the ticket over other hopefuls like Captain Abhimanyu and Kuldeep Bishnoi. Staunch Congress supporters believed the BJP comfortably won Hisar until the ticket announcement. Against it, Congress pitched former MP Jaiprakash. The election became tricky. However, the BJP’s ‘russaa-manai’ worked well; these leaders campaigned vigorously for Ranjit Chautalaa.
The situation was different in Sonepat, though. Ramesh Kaushik, a former Congressman who joined the BJP and became an MP in 2014, was denied the ticket. A few weeks earlier, an objectionable video of his went viral across the state. Mohan Lal Badoli was instead offered the ticket. Throughout the election, Ramesh was not seen campaigning for the BJP. Many argue that he met Bhupinder Singh Hooda some time ago and moved his loyalists towards Congress.
But why the Congress party? While many in the state clearly believe that the parliament elections are different from Assembly polls, many don’t. Early in the campaign, former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda began asking voters to make his son win Rohtak and said he would ensure that Congress would form the government in Haryana. This brought a fresh lease of life to his loyalists. Congress also distributed tickets after studying the sentiment on the ground. Every candidate has some strengths and advantages. It’s like Congress is clamouring for each vote. But that’s how it should be.
Notably, things were balanced out between the BJP and Congress by the first week of May. Former Deputy CM Dushyant Chautala’s Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) was not pulling enough crowds. Some loyalists stood with him, but the numbers were considerably smaller than in 2019. Indian National Lok Dal’s Abhay Chautala was inviting the audience with his terse and straightforward remarks, but it was not galvanising votes. Take the example of Devender Kadyan from Panipat contesting on a JJP ticket from Karnal Lok Sabha. He had a better case compared to Divyanshu Budhiraja. But, since Budhiraja was contesting on a Congress ticket, he became a better contestant.
Ahirwal’s Gurgaon seat has been a BJP stronghold, thanks to Rao Inderjit. No opposition candidate at any time during the elections could swell enough followers to ramp up an opposition. Singer Fazilpuria from JJP made an attempt but was far from the finish line. In Faridabad, as well, the BJP led the entire campaign season. Similar was the situation in Ambala. The only other tricky wicket was Sirsa. Surprisingly, the seat became fiercely contested between Ashok Tanwar from the BJP and Kumari Selja from the Congress.
Until mid-May, the BJP campaign was led by Manohar Lal Khattar, who was taking the lead in the election campaign across the state like an army general would. Along with him was CM Nayab Saini. As the Congress campaign picked up in mid-May, the star campaigners of the BJP started holding rallies, roadshows, etc., in the state.
Overall, the BJP executed a fresh strategy under Modi-Manohar’s leadership. The Congress party surprised and made the campaign look tougher than it ever was. But one must not rely on social media metrics; the people have voted, and June 4 is here.
The author is an academic and policy professional based out of offices in Haryana and Delhi. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost’s views.
