What Helped BJP Fight Anti-Incumbency in Haryana

The BJP is set to win a historic third straight term in Haryana in an election that many expected it to lose in face of massive anti-incumbency, anger among farmers and Jats, and over the Agniveer scheme. Now that the trends have made the extent of its victory clear - the party is leading in 48 of 90 seats - sources in the party revealed the winning strategy it had implemented. 

Consolidation Of the Non-Jat Vote 

What worked here was the upgraded governance by Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini when he was brought in to replace Manohar Lal Khattar, said a senior BJP leader. Why it came as a surprise, the leader said, was that while Jat voters are always vocal, people who voted for the BJP were the silent majority who express their support through ballot.

State leaders of the BJP say Mr Saini, in his brief tenure, had managed to implement a number of schemes meant to benefit traders, youths, backward classes and government employees, turning around the anti-incumbency accumulated over the years against Mr Khattar's government. 

He started the state's Haryana Agniveer Policy, 2024 to provide employment and entrepreneurship opportunities to Agniveers and counter the backlash over the Agniveer scheme. He started providing free medical tests in government hospitals for the underprivileged people and scrapped minimum charges on electricity.

Bhupinder Singh Hooda At The Helm Of Affairs Of Congress 

The BJP, party leaders said, have always worked for a better life for all communities instead of identifying with any party community the way the Congress did in this case.  Jats in Haryana have always tried to dominate other communities like the Other Backward Classes, Punjabis, Dalits and others. 

This is why the BJP, sources said, has been careful not to put a Jat leader at the helm of the government. While Mr Khattar is a Punjabi Khatri, Mr Saini belongs to the Other Backward Classes.

It did not help when Mr Hooda, one of the tallest leaders of the Jat community, openly vouched that a Jat leader will be the Chief Minister. It polarised the other communities and they voted against the dominance of one community, the leaders said. 

Appointing Nayab Singh Saini As The Face Of Party 

Appointing Nayab Singh Saini helped the party fight anti-incumbency which it anticipated just ahead of Lok Sabha elections. While it did not exactly pay off in the Lok Sabha polls, with the Congress making inroads and winning five of the state's 10 Lok Sabha seats, the BJP managed to drive home the message in time for the Assembly polls. 
Moreover, Mr Saini not only has a clean image, but was also was approachable to the masses. 

"Kharchi And Parchi" Attack On Congress 

A senior BJP leader said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's attacks on the "Karchi-parchi" system worked wonders for the party. In his campaign speeches in Haryana, PM Modi had repeatedly spoken about how the 10-year government of the Congress saw a "parchi" and "kharchi" system wherein even jobs could not be got without corruption or favouritism.

The BJP, leaders said, worked on the fear that if the Congress returns to power, the extortion racket will be back in Haryana. 

Farmers' Agitation 

The second phase of the farmers' agitation worked in favour of BJP. A party leader, on condition of anonymity, said the decision of BJP not to allow farmers cross the Sambhu border helped the party as during the first phase of farmers agitation massive law and order situation was created in the state.