THE BHARATIYA Janata Party (BJP), led by Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, has secured its third consecutive term in the northern state of Haryana, defying exit polls that had predicted a victory for Congress.
In the state assembly elections, the BJP won 48 seats, 11 more than the Congress. The results, announced on Tuesday, marked a strong showing for the BJP, while parties like the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) were significantly reduced.
The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) managed only two seats.
The BJP, which contested 89 of the 90 seats, did not field a candidate in Sirsa, where its ally Gopal Kanda was the sitting MLA.
However, Kanda lost his seat. The Congress also contested 89 seats, leaving Bhiwani for the CPI (M).
Modi credited the victory to the party's governance, saying that it resonated with voters from all communities.
"Our guarantee of 'vikas' triumphed over the lies spread by Congress," he told BJP members in Delhi.
"Once the people throw out Congress, they don't let it return. They put up 'no entry' signs for Congress," he added.
The BJP improved on its 2014 tally of 47 seats, while Congress secured 37. INLD took two seats, and three independents were also elected.
Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge called the results "unexpected" and said the party would review the outcome.
Notable winners included chief minister Nayab Singh Saini (Ladwa), Congress's Bhupinder Singh Hooda (Garhi Sampla-Kiloi), BJP's Anil Vij (Ambala Cantt), Shruti Choudhry (Tosham), and independent Savitri Jindal (Hisar).
Key losses included INLD's Abhay Singh Chautala, JJP's Dushyant Chautala, and BJP’s Gian Chand Gupta.
Haryana went to the polls in a single phase on October 5. The BJP received 39.94 per cent of the vote share, compared to Congress’s 39.09 per cent.
Despite the close vote percentage, BJP's seat count gave them a comfortable lead.
An opposition alliance also won the first elections in a decade in troubled Jammu and Kashmir, but the BJP managed to hold onto its Hindu base in a Muslim-majority territory where it has limited influence.
In Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), whose special autonomy Modi scrapped in 2019, the alliance of Congress and the regional National Conference (NC) party won 48 seats out of 90 seats.
If it sticks, the Haryana outcome is a shot in the arm for BJP prior to regional polls in the more politically significant states of Maharashtra and Jharkhand.
Maharashtra, a western industrial hub where the financial capital Mumbai is situated, is ruled by a BJP coalition, with an opposition alliance in power in mineral-rich Jharkhand.
Elections in both states have yet to be announced but are expected to be held in November.
(With inputs from agencies)
