Haryana Assembly Election Results: Kumari Selja took over as Haryana Congress chief last month
The people of Haryana have given the BJP a fitting reply, Congress leader Kumari Selja told NDTV today, as counting of votes for showed an unexpectedly close race in state polls. "We had faith in the people of Haryana and we knew that what had been imposed by the BJP was totally anti-people. They demanded votes in the name of Article 370 and NRC. How did that help the people of the state?" the Haryana Congress chief asked.
The BJP had been expected to record a comfortable win in Haryana, particularly since, as the principal opposition, the Congress has struggled for ideas and relevance since slipping to a disastrous defeat in national polls in April-May. The party has also battled defections of senior leaders across the country.
However, trends as of 4.11 pm showed the BJP ahead in only 39 seats (down 8 from 2014 polls) and the Congress leading in 31 (up 16 from the last election). Dushyant Chautala's Jannayak Janata Party (JJP), which is likely to play the role of kingmaker, was ahead in 10.
"The BJP has nothing to show for itself for the past five years... unemployment is increasing, farmers are in distress, women's issues are a problem... crime graph is spiking. They (Haryana BJP) thought that because they have grandiose ideas and PM Modi comes every second day, the people are going to buy that. The reality was different," Ms Selja said.
The BJP had rolled out the big guns during campaigning for the Haryana elections, with both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah holding rallies. The Prime Minister, who addressed seven rallies across the state, chose to focus on national issues like Article 370 and the NRC exercise in Assam, as well as highlighting China President Xi Jinping's appreciation of 'Dangal', a 2016 Bollywood blockbuster based on the life of Babita Phogat.
By contrast the fracture in the Congress leadership was evident, with only Rahul Gandhi making an appearance; the former party chief was a last-minute replacement after his mother, Sonia Gandhi, pulled out at the last minute.
However, Ms Selja, who said she was happy Mr Gandhi came and "gave the right message", said the voters trusted the Congress. "The Congress has always been close to the common people. The weaker sections have hope from the Congress," she told NDTV.
Earlier in the day Kumari Selja, who only took over as chief of the state unit last month, tweeted that Haryana was ready to "embrace a new dawn of justice".
"Haryana has given the verdict- it will not tolerate @BJP4Haryana's misgovernance anymore. Choosing to leave behind the maladies inflicted on its people in last 5years, the state is ready to embrace a new dawn of justice & equality under the leadership of @INCHaryana. #IbbkeCongress," she posted on social media.
The JJP is likely to emerge as kingmaker in the next Haryana government, although Kumari Selja, who played down talk of becoming the next Chief Minister, is confident the Congress will not need outside support.
"The Congress can get a majority on its own. The first issue is we have to form the government. The Chief Minister will be decided by the high command," she said.