Why Congress’ Haryana loss will be a disadvantage for it in Maharashtra, Jharkhand
The Congress’ unexpected poll defeat in Haryana will resonate beyond the Hindi belt state. Buoyed by the Lok Sabha results, the Grand Old Party was projecting itself as the ‘leader’ of the INDI alliance. Now, its allies are calling for ‘introspection’
The Congress’ unexpected poll defeat in Haryana will resonate beyond the Hindi belt state. Buoyed by the Lok Sabha results, the Grand Old Celebration changed into projecting itself because the ‘leader’ of the INDI alliance. Now, its allies are calling for ‘introspection’ read more
 "Why Congress’ Haryana loss might be a disadvantage for it in Maharashtra, Jharkhand")
Congress' bargaining power with its MVA allies has reduced for Maharashtra polls after the Haryana defeat. File Photo/PTI
The Haryana poll loss has put the Congress in a demanding spot. Its INDIA bloc partners have their knives out, calling for the party to introspect and rethink its election strategy.
In a shock defeat, the Congress, which changed into predicted by exit polls to win Haryana, managed to secure best 37 of the ninety Assembly seats with a 39.09 per cent vote share. The Bharatiya Janata Celebration (BJP) emerged because the winner with Forty eight seats and 39.94 per cent vote share.
The Congress’ lacklustre performance in Jammu and Kashmir rubbed salt into its Haryana wound. The Grand Old Celebration, which fought the Assembly elections in a tie-up with the National Conference (NC), won best six of the 32 seats it contested. The Congress will come to power inside the Union Territory on account of its ally NC, which bagged forty two of the fifty one seats it fielded candidates on.
Let’s take a more in-depth look.
INDIA allies target Congress
The Congress described the Haryana Assembly election results as “surprising, against renowned sentiment and can not be accepted” on Tuesday (October eight).
On Wednesday, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi said that the party is analysing the Haryana results and will apprise the Election Commission of its complaints concerning the counting process.
“We are analysing the unexpected results of Haryana. We're going to inform the Election Commission concerning the complaints coming from many Assembly constituencies,” the Congress leader wrote on X.
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) October 9, 2024जम्मू-कश्मीर के लोगों का तहे दिल से शुक्रिया - प्रदेश में INDIA की जीत संविधान की जीत है, लोकतांत्रिक स्वाभिमान की जीत है।
हम हरियाणा के अप्रत्याशित नतीजे का विश्लेषण कर रहे हैं। अनेक विधानसभा क्षेत्रों से आ रही शिकायतों से चुनाव आयोग को अवगत कराएंगे।
सभी हरियाणा वासियों को…
The INDIA grouping has increased pressure on the Congress after the unexpected Haryana debacle. As the outcomes went in favour of the BJP on Tuesday, Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha member Priyanka Chaturvedi pointed out how the Congress every other time lost in an instantaneous fight against the BJP no matter anti-incumbency in Haryana.
She said, “The Congress party must take into accounts its strategy too. Because wherever there may perchance perchance be an instantaneous fight with the BJP, the Congress party gets weakened. Why does it happen? It has to transform the final alliance.”
Trinamool Congress (TMC) Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghose said that the INDIA bloc performed well inside the Lok Sabha elections in states where the Congress allied with regional parties. “Or not it might be the regional parties who are taking the BJP head-on, and defeating it. The Congress must realise this, and accommodate its allies better inside the coming elections,” she changed into quoted as saying by Indian Express.
CPI general secretary D Raja asked the Congress to do “serious introspection”.
Speaking to Indian Express, Samajwadi Celebration MP Rajeev Rai took a potshot at the Congress, saying it truly is going to stop thinking it truly is miles the “leader” of the INDIA bloc.
“The Congress didn’t give us any seat inside the Haryana election with (Bhupinder Singh) Hooda ji saying that our party doesn’t have a standing inside the state… The Congress comes and asks us for seats where they haven't got any standing, but don’t share seats inside the states where they're strong. They should realise that an alliance has to run on mutual respect, and that has to be followed inside the future,” he added.
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has asked the Congress to learn a lesson from the Haryana poll results and “stay united” with its partners in Maharashtra to “defeat” the BJP.
Responding to the criticism, the Congress has advised its partners in Maharashtra to follow “coalition dharma”. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said allies should “consult with one one more and now not during the media.”
Demanding times beforehand for Congress
The Congress, which nearly doubled its tally to 99 inside the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, has tried to portray itself because the leader of the INDIA grouping.
A victory in Haryana would have helped the Congress to along with cement that notion. It would have been a first-rate boost for the Grand Old Celebration which has now not won any state in north India since 2018, except for Himachal Pradesh in 2022.
No longer just Haryana, the Congress’ disappointing performance in J&K has also given a explanation for the party to be troubled. The total way during the Jammu region, the Grand Old Celebration got only 1 seat, failing to mount a challenge to the BJP. As per Indian Express, the Congress has “proved to be the weak link” in its alliance with the NC in J&K.
The loss in Haryana and below-par performance in J&K has left the party with less negotiating power inside the upcoming Maharashtra and Jharkhand Assembly elections.
Last month, Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan said at an India This day’s conclave that his party should name the manager ministerial candidate. “I’ve claimed that the largest party should get this privilege, and I believe the Congress party may perchance perchance be the largest party,” he said.
The total way during the Maharashtra Lok Sabha elections, the Congress emerged because the single largest party. Buoyed by the outcomes, two senior Congress leaders told Hindustan Times (HT) that the party changed into eyeing the distribution of seats inside the Maharashtra Assembly elections on the premise of the allies’ success rate inside the Lok Sabha elections.
The Congress is portion of the Maha Vikas Aghadhi (MVA) alliance inside the state, which also comprises Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) and Nationalist Congress Celebration (Sharadchandra Pawar).
As per the report, there may perchance perchance be a “tussle” between the Congress and the Shiv Sena (UBT) over which party will contest the utmost seats inside the Assembly elections. The Grand Old Celebration has also resisted Sena’s demand to project Thackeray because the MVA’s CM face, reported Times of India (TOI).
Then again, the former Maharashtra CM and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader has reiterated he'll beef up any chief ministerial face announced by the alliance to “save” the state. “I in fact have said it earlier too and now again I am saying that Congress or NCP (SP) should announce a candidate for the Chief Ministerial post… I'm going to beef up any face declared by them because Maharashtra is expensive to me and it truly is miles inside the interest of saving Maharashtra. Or not it might be my get to the bottom of to do anything else to steer clear of wasting Maharashtra,” Thackeray reportedly said on Tuesday.
With the Haryana loss, the Congress would now not appear to have an edge over its MVA allies anymore. It would now has to be more accommodative in the tip of the seat-sharing talks.
The Congress has, alternatively, said the Haryana poll result will now not have a touching on Maharashtra. Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala said the day just before this that the party cadre inside the western state changed into now not “demoralised” after the election effect in Haryana. “The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) will unitedly defeat the Eknath Shinde-led government and the Congress wasn’t demoralised with the Haryana assembly election trends,” Chennithala, the AICC in-charge of Maharashtra, changed into quoted as saying by PTI.
In Jharkhand, the Congress is a junior partner of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM). The party would should “play a secondary role” here, as per The Hindu.
Maharashtra and Jharkhand are expected to maneuver to polls next month.
The election setback might also impact the Congress’ poll prospects in Delhi and Punjab.
Delhi will hold the Assembly election early next year. It remains to be seen whether the Aam Aadmi Celebration (AAP) and the Congress can come together for the Delhi polls. Currently, the AAP has ruled out the potential of forging an alliance with an “overconfident” Congress.
The Congress had snubbed the AAP for a tie-up for Haryana polls. Addressing the party’s municipal councillors in Delhi, AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal said, “Allow us to appear what the outcomes are in Haryana. The largest lesson from it truly is that one should never be overconfident in elections.”
The previous Delhi CM also said that “no election has to be taken lightly. Each election and each and every seat is demanding”.
His cautionary words are seen as a message to the Congress along with his own party.
With inputs from agencies
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