Mumbai, Chandigarh: The Bharatiya Janata Party declared that it will take power both in Maharashtra, where it finished as the single largest party followed by Shiv Sena, and Haryana, where it emerged as an outright winner with highest majority. The Congress was humiliated in both places.
The BJP’s gamble to go it alone in these Assembly polls paid off in Haryana but has failed in Maharashtra as the party has fallen short of nearly 22 seats of a clear majority.
The BJP has won 122 out of 288 seats in Maharashtra and 47 out of 90 seats in Harayana Assembly.
The Bharatiya Janata Party, which came out as a clear winner in Haryana will form the government in the state for the first time.
BJP president Amit Shah, however, is confident that his party will form government in both states.
In a twist of all twists, former ally of the Congress in the state and a key constituent of the UPA coalition, Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) seized the opportunity first to extend outside support to the BJP government. While NCP's 'desperate' decision to offer outside support to the BJP was seen as 'dirty politics' by Congress, the routed party is more than willing to turn to their arch-rivals.
If the BJP accepts the offer, it will not have to kiss and make up with former ally Shiv Sena who came second in the state with 60-odd seats.
Their 25-year alliance broke on the eve of polls over seat-sharing arrangments with the Sena having turned down BJP's demand for 127 seats. Amit Shah said after results on Sunday, "We never wanted the alliance with Shiv Sena to break. It was a matter of just three seats that they denied us. Today's results have proved who was right in their demand."
Meanwhile, Uddhav Thackeray told the media that he will not talk about alliance until someone approaches them.
The BJP, however, is yet to get back to the NCP on thair offer. But the possibility remains that Shiv Sena is also in the reckoning as a post-poll partner of the BJP in Maharashtra.
While the results bolster the BJP’s claims that the ‘Modi wave’ continues to sweep the country, in Maharashtra the national party felt the pinch of a weak organisational structure. A decisive leader like Narendra Modi is fine at the top, but who translates that authority right down to the grassroots level, political observers ask. Shah, however, claimed that the party had got a significant 28 per cent votes in the state. Read: NCP attacks ex-CM Prithviraj Chavan over poll rout in Maharashtra
The Congress and the NCP, which ruled the state for the last 15 years and also fought separately, was likely to pull in 90 seats together –- with 40-odd seats each.
In the last elections, Congress had won 82 seats and its then ally NCP had got 62 seats. BJP and Shiv Sena could get 46 and 44 seats respectively then.
In Haryana, BJP was always in a position to form the government with a majority. The INLD came in seco9nd, followed by the Congress and Kuldip Bishnoi's Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC).
In the last elections in Haryana, Congress had got 40 seats followed by INLD which won 31. BJP had got 4 and HJC 6.
Both formations -- Congress and NCP and BJP and its oldest saffron alliance Shiv Sena -- fought the elections on their own this time.
From the results in these two states , it is obvious that the dominance of regional parties is over. In Haryana, the BJP dumped Kuldip Bishnoi's Haryana Janhit Congress after his pre-poll belligerence. Bishnoi thought the BJP had run out of steam after its poll reverses in by-elections but he now has come fourth in the state with not more thand a handful of seats.
Read: 2 states, many CM hopefuls
High voter turnouts in both states, especially in Haryana which was a record, has brought cheer to BJP poll managers, who were confident the BJP would no more play second fiddle in either state.
Celebrations outside BJP headquarters in Mumbai. (Photo: ANI Twitter)
Haryana:
Strong anti-incumbency against Congress and Prime Minister and star campaigner Narendra Modi's charisma seems to have worked in Haryana. With good governance and development as main agenda, the BJP projected itself as the best alternative in this Jat-dominated state. Haryana’s record voter turnout was also seen as a “good sign” by the BJP’s poll managers. Exit polls too were favourable.
Final results of Harayana Assembly Elections
Despite a lack of leadership, BJP will now form the government in Haryana after years of being on the sidelines. BJP chief Amit Shah’s decision to go alone also seems to have worked after the party snapped its alliance with Kuldeep Bishnoi’s HJC shortly before elections. During the 2009 Assembly elections, Congress had won 40 seats, INLD 31, BJP four, HJC-BL six, SAD and BSP one each and Independents 7.
“Modi symbolises good governance and honest leadership…that’s why people have imposed faith,” said senior BJP leader and Union minister Prakash Javadekar.
Maharashtra:
The NCP has maintained its stranglehold in western Maharashtra as some of its top leaders from the region kept the party ahead. NCP leaders Ajit Pawar, Jayant Patil and R R Patil were all winning.
Senior political observer from Sangli Prakash Kamble said it was a given fact that dynastic politics still existed in Maharashtra, particularly in the west. “The Pawars and Patils have worked extensively for their constituencies and people have given them their mandate. But rallies by Narendra Modi have had its impact too as the BJP is giving a tough fight and creating a niche for itself. But the Sena cannot be written off,” he said.
Final results of Maharashtra Assembly Elections
The BJP trounced the Congress in Vidarbha thought the Shiv Sena managed to hold on to its seats in this region. In 2009, the Congress had won 24 seats and the BJP 19 seats. The Shiv Sena held on to its 8 in the last three state polls.
Shailesh Pande, editor of leading Marathi newspaper ‘Sakal’, said the Congress-NCP might be out due to the anti-incumbency, but there was not much of a ‘Modi wave’ either in Vidarbha.
The Shiv Sena held on to the Konkan region but not without a good fight from the BJP. The Congress and the NCP have come a cropper in the region.
The Konkan region of five districts – Thane, Palghar, Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg – has always been a stronghold of Shiv Sena for the last 20 years. The break with BJP was expected to have an adverse effect on its fortunes. But on the basis of its strong network, Sena managed to emerge as the leading party in the region.
Whatever dominance Sena may have in the region, it will be a huge relief for former chief minister Narayan Rane, whose pride was at stake. In his Kudal-Malwan constituency, Congress was ahead albeit with a smallish margin. In the initial rounds, Rane was trailing to rival Vaibhav Naik of Shiv Sena. However, he picked up after the sixth round.
Shiv Sena candidates led in most the seats in Thane and Palghar districts. But in rural areas, the BJP has managed to break Sena’s hold on the region to some extent.
The Congress was in trouble in Marathwada due to MIM, a clear indication that the latter had pulled in Muslim support from the Congress and NCP. The Congress had 14 out of its 46. Even the BJP and Shiv Sena made a few inroads at the cost of the Congress.
The counting of votes for the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly and 90-member Haryana Assembly began at 8 am. Polling took place on October 15. Haryana, recorded its highest-ever turnout of 76.54 per cent while Maharashtra recorded 63.13 per cent polling. Altogether, 63.13 per cent voters voted in the Assembly polls. Polling was also held for the Beed Lok Sabha bypoll on October 15, where Gopinath Munde's daughter Pritam Munde was contesting the seat.
BJP Maharashtra unit chief Devendra Fadnavis is the front-runner for becoming the chief ministerial candidate of his party while the names of Eknath Khadse, Vinod Tawde, Sudhir Mungantiwar and the late Gopinath Munde’s daughter Pankaja are also doing the rounds for the top post.
There is speculation that a "dark horse" could
emerge as the final candidate, especially in Haryana. The BJP parliamentary board is likely to meet Sunday to discuss the issue if the party gets a clear majority. In Maharashtra, while the BJP fielded 257 candidates, leaving the rest to its allies, the Shiv Sena contested 286 seats, the Congress 288 and NCP 286. Of the 288 constituencies, including 36 constituencies in Mumbai, 234 are general, 29 reserved for Scheduled Castes and 25 for Scheduled Tribes.
Key aspirants whose fate would be decided include chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Congress leader Randeep Surjewala, former CM Om Parkash Chautala’s son Abhay, daughter-in-law Naina and grandson Dushyant (INLD), former MP and HJC chief Kuldeep Bishnoi, his wife Renuka and elder brother and former deputy CM Chander Mohan. Key BJP leaders whose fate will be decided include Captain Abhimanyu, who is also a contender for CM, and party state unit chief Ram Bilas Sharma, another contender for the top post.
Former CM Bansi Lal’s son the former BCCI
president Ranbir Singh Mahendra, daughter-in-law (the late Surender Singh’s wife) and Haryana minister Kiran Chaudhary and Bansi Lal’s son-in-law Sombir Singh are contesting as Congress candidates from Badhra, Tosham and Loharu segments in Bhiwani district, respectively.
In the 2009 Assembly elections, the
Congress had won 40 seats, the INLD 31, BJP four, HJC-BL six, SAD and BSP one each and Independents seven. The Congress had failed to get the required majority of 45 in the 2009 Assembly polls, but Bhupinder Singh Hooda managed to form government after five Haryana Janhit Congress (BL) MLAs deserted their party and merged with the Congress, which also got the support of seven Independents and the lone BSP member.
