NEW DELHI: The Haryana result reflects that Congress 's singular focus on employment, Agnipath, development and law and order failed to take into account the persistence of Jat vs non-Jat politics in the state. While the party believed people's issues, with the added impetus of populist announcements, would sway voters beyond caste appeal, the poll result has belied its expectation.
After exit polls made Congress hopeful of a sweep in Haryana, result day was marked by a dramatic turn of events as the early trends soon got reversed. What appeared to be a close fight when counting started soon turned into a BJP show . It was nothing short of a shock defeat for Congress with its leaders alleging a conspiracy and saying that "democracy had lost and the establishment had won" in Haryana.
The Lok Sabha results in May, where Congress managed to win five of the 10 seats in the state, had shored up its organisation but it also raised the possibility of greater infighting as Bhupinder Singh Hooda emerged from the success as the Congress's sole face. The insecurities among other leaders pushed them into a sulk or led them to focus on their kin.
Hooda's failure to reach out to in-house rivals and accommodate them in the campaign and strategy created a gulf which, in the ultimate analysis, impacted the average Haryana voter. Kumari Selja's reported sulk was the talk of the campaign, as was the claim to the CM's post by multiple leaders. By all accounts, Hooda cornered the lion's share of candidates, pushing out the claims of other members.
But where the party also missed a trick is in how it designed its campaign. The overt focus on wrestlers' protest was also seen to impress the Jat tilt of Congress, and the decision to field Olympian Vinesh Phogat may have been ill timed. Additionally, the absence of big Yadav or Punjabi faces in the Congress team, that could have undercut the BJP campaign on Jat vs non-Jat issue, also proved a major chink in the party's armour.
After exit polls made Congress hopeful of a sweep in Haryana, result day was marked by a dramatic turn of events as the early trends soon got reversed. What appeared to be a close fight when counting started soon turned into a BJP show . It was nothing short of a shock defeat for Congress with its leaders alleging a conspiracy and saying that "democracy had lost and the establishment had won" in Haryana.
The Lok Sabha results in May, where Congress managed to win five of the 10 seats in the state, had shored up its organisation but it also raised the possibility of greater infighting as Bhupinder Singh Hooda emerged from the success as the Congress's sole face. The insecurities among other leaders pushed them into a sulk or led them to focus on their kin.
Hooda's failure to reach out to in-house rivals and accommodate them in the campaign and strategy created a gulf which, in the ultimate analysis, impacted the average Haryana voter. Kumari Selja's reported sulk was the talk of the campaign, as was the claim to the CM's post by multiple leaders. By all accounts, Hooda cornered the lion's share of candidates, pushing out the claims of other members.
But where the party also missed a trick is in how it designed its campaign. The overt focus on wrestlers' protest was also seen to impress the Jat tilt of Congress, and the decision to field Olympian Vinesh Phogat may have been ill timed. Additionally, the absence of big Yadav or Punjabi faces in the Congress team, that could have undercut the BJP campaign on Jat vs non-Jat issue, also proved a major chink in the party's armour.
