Haryana Election Results Highlights 2019: BJP gains unassailable lead in 9 seats, fight only for Rohtak seat now

NEW DELHI: The BJP has gained unassailable lead in nine of the ten Lok Sabha seats in Haryana and the fight appears to be only for the Rohtak seat now where Congress' sitting MP Deepender Singh Hooda was putting up a challenge to the saffron party candidate.

Rohtak was witnessing a see-saw contest between sitting MP Deepender Singh Hooda, who after leading with a margin of more than 13,000 votes at one stage over BJP's Arvind Sharma, was now trailing by over 4500 votes, as per trends available with the Election Commission.

If the BJP wins nine or even the tenth seat, it will be the party's best-ever performance, surpassing the previous best in 2014 when it won seven of the eight it contested.

The BJP was leading in all the 10 seats in Haryana as per early trends available with the Election Commission. Former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda of the Congress was trailing in

Sonipat

.

In the 2014 parliamentary polls, the BJP had contested eight seats and won seven of the total 10 seats in the state. Its then ally, the Haryana Janhit Congress, had fought on two seats, losing both. The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) won two seats and the Congress could retain only Rohtak seat last time.

This time, among the major parties in the contest are the ruling BJP, the Congress and the INLD, all of whom are fighting on the 10 seats independently. The Jannayak Janata Party (JJP), formed after split in the INLD six months ago, contested on seven seats while its ally AAP fought on the other three seats. The BSP fought eight seats, leaving two for its ally the Loktantra Suraksha Party floated by rebel BJP MP Raj Kumar Saini.

In Haryana, the BJP is banking on the “Jat vs non-Jat” polarisation, the result of the violence during the Jat quota agitation of 2016. Besides, the votes of the large and influential Jat community may get divided between Congress, INLD and its breakaway faction, JJP. Such a situation could also favour BJP.

The BJP, which sprung a surprise in 2014 by forming its maiden government in Haryana after riding to power under its own steam, enjoys an advantage even this time due to the largely fragmented opposition. This time, too, the BJP sought votes in the name of Modi.

The Congress targeted the BJP government over the "failed" promises in the state. What can be a relief for the Congress are the farmer groups like Bharatiya Kisan Union who have already made it clear that they will oppose the saffron party. The Congress party, which only managed to win Rohtak last time, is making all-out efforts to regain lost ground by fielding party heavyweights like Bhupinder Hooda, Ashok Tanwar and Kumari Selja.

The prominent candidates whose fate will be known include Union Ministers Rao Inderjit Singh, Krishan Pal Gurjar and former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. The candidates for eight of 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana are children and, in some cases grandchildren, of the state’s prominent political leaders, who belong to all main political parties such as the Congress, BJP, INLD and JJP.

The Congress has fielded most candidates with family connections, but the Chautala family has most candidates in fray. Three grandsons of former Haryana CM O P Chautala are contesting — sitting MP Dushyant Chautala from Hisar and his younger brother Digvijay from Sonipat for JJP. Their cousin Arjun, who is in INLD, is fighting from Kurukshetra.

Similarly, Congress’s candidate in Rohtak, Deepender Hooda is son of former chief minister Bhupinder Hooda. Hooda senior, son of senior Congress leader Ranbir Singh Hooda, is also contesting from Sonipat on Congress ticket. Hooda’s father was a minister in undivided Punjab.

Union minister Rao Inderjit Singh, who is BJP candidate from Gurgaon, is son of former Haryana chief minister Rao Birender Singh. His opponent and Gurgaon’s Congress candidate, Captain Ajay Yadav is son of senior Ahir leader and former Rewari MLA Rao Abhey Singh.

Former Union minister Kumari Selja and state Congress chief Ashok Tanwar are in fray from Ambala and Sirsa, respectively. Shruti Choudhary, former MP and grand daughter of ex-chief minister Bansi Lal contested from Bhiwani Mahendergarh seat.

In Kurukshetra constituency, Arjun Chautala, 26, son of INLD leader Abhay Chautala, will take on BJP's Nayab Singh Saini, a minister in the Khattar government. Congress has fielded former minister Nirmal Singh from the seat. The constituency is dominated by OBCs, besides Jats, Sainis, Brahmins and dalits.

As many as 223 candidates are in the fray for the 10 seats in Haryana. Of the total candidates 11 are women.

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