Khattar said BJP is strong in all 90 seats. (Photo: Express Archive)Seeking to carry the momentum it gained in the Lok Sabha polls earlier this year, the ruling BJP in Haryana is confident of winning more than 75 of the total 90 seats in the next month’s assembly polls.
Haryana will go to polls on October 21, the Election Commission said Saturday. The results will be declared on October 24.
The BJP, for the first time, won all the 10 Lok Sabha seats in the elections held in May and increased its vote share to over 58 per cent in Haryana, capping its best-ever performance in 2014 Assembly polls when it bagged 47 seats. The party, under the leadership of Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, is already working on “Mission 75”.
“BJP is strong in all the 90 Assembly segments. Opposition political parties stand divided and a stampede is taking place in these parties. We will cross 75-plus seats in the Assembly,” Khattar told media here.
He added that “on some individual seats” there will be contest. “In Garhi Sampla Kiloi (a seat held
by B S Hooda), the fight will be against Congress. In Ellenabad (Abhay Chautala’s seat), it will be against INLD, and likewise on some seats against JJP or Independents,” he added.
He said the BJP has completed all preparations for the polls. “The tickets will be allocated to those who follow the party’s ideology and have a clean image,” he said.
Read | Haryana Assembly polls: Hooda promises job or Rs 10,000 monthly dole to unemployed youths
However, finalising candidates may be an uphill task for BJP as it faces a problem of plenty with several leaders from the opposition camp joining the saffron outfit. The party is likely to deny tickets to six-seven sitting MLAs, replacing them with new faces including some who joined BJP after quitting their respective political parties. “Prospective candidates may be many, but in the end only 90 are going to get tickets,” Khattar said.
While Khattar is going to electorate citing the achievements of his government, abrogation of Art 370 and 35-A besides Modi factor; the Opposition is targeting the ruling party on the issues of unemployment, poor economy, youth and unresolved water issues.
‘Unemployment biggest poll issue’
Yogendra Yadav, president of Swaraj India, Saturday told the opposition parties must that “this time instead of ‘tu-tu-main-main’ bickering and horse trading, “let there be meaningful debate on the biggest problem of the state – unemployment”.
Referring to a report by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) for the period of May-August, Yadav said the number of unemployed in the state had crossed 20 lakh. “Leaving behind many states with bigger populations, unemployment in Haryana has taken shape of an epidemic. Latest statistics reveal that Haryana has more unemployed than states with bigger populations like Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Jharkhand. For example, Punjab has 11.24 lakh unemployed whereas in Haryana, which has a smaller population, the number is 20.20 lakh. Out of these, 4.5 lakh are either graduate or with a higher degree”, Yadav said in a press conference here.
Read | Model Code of Conduct comes into play: Carrying Rs 50,000 or more in cash? Keep documents handy
He said it was “deeply worrying” that Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, which has three times the population of Haryana, the number of unemployed was 11.84 lakh and 11.58 lakh, respectively.
Three years ago in August 2016, Haryana was placed seventh in unemployment rate, but at the end of August 2019, it is placed number 1, which means that none of the other states has an unemployment rate of 28.7 per cent, he said, adding that his outfit will seek a reply from the Khattar government, on the isue.
The BJP, however, appeared unfazed with the accusations. Haryana’s Finance Minister, Capt Abhimanyu said, “We will appeal people to vote for us on the basis of honesty, hardwork and transparency with which our government served Haryana in the last five years”.
The other opposition parties in Haryana stand divided and disarrayed. While the Indian National Lok Dal has almost been decimated with Ellanabad MLA Abhay Chautala the only known face left to lead the party; its breakaway faction Jannayak Janta Party has Hisar’s former MP Dushyant Chautala and his brother Digvijay Chautala, as its commanders.
JJP had already announced its seven candidates and is expected to release the second list of candidates in the coming days. Abhay too said that INLD would declare its candidates after September 25 rally that the party is organising in Kaithal to mark its founder Devi Lal’s 106th birth anniversary.
‘People have pledged to throw out BJP govt’
The infighting within Indian National Congress refuses to die down, despite the party high command having made structural changes in state unit hierarchy. Lack of synergy among state unit’s senior leaders had badly affected the party’s performance in the Lok Sabha polls. All Congress stalwarts who contested Lok Sabha polls, lost with huge margins.
Congress communications in-charge, Randeep Surjewala said, “We welcome the Election Commission’s announcement. Not only in Haryana, but in Jharkhand and Maharashtra too, Congress will win and form the governments. People have already taken a pledge to oust the BJP government from these states”.
Haryana Congress president Kumari Selja and CLP leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda are currently touring the state and meeting party workers, giving them necessary directions for the upcoming polls and seeking their suggestions on the prospective candidates from their respective constituencies.
