h4>HIGHLIGHTS
- Seat projections in exit polls released on Monday were unanimous on BJP retaining office in Maharashtra and Haryana
- In Haryana, if the higher end of the projection proves correct, it will mark the marginalisation of Congress
- A good result should encourage the Modi government to push ahead with reforms
NEW DELHI: Seat projections in exit polls released on Monday were unanimous on BJP retaining office in Maharashtra and Haryana – a first in both states where Congress has historically been the dominant player.
In Maharashtra, the BJP -Shiv Sena combine appears set to return with the tally ranging from 166 to 244, according to the exit polls. The results in Haryana, going by the exit polls, indicate BJP winning up to 75 seats in an assembly of 90.
In Maharashtra, the Congress-NCP alliance seems to be holding some ground in the western part of the state, its bastion. But here, too, the saffron parties may improve. The influx of influential Maratha politicians to BJP and Sena may have boosted the alliance.
In Haryana, if the higher end of the projection proves correct, it will mark the marginalisation of Congress, the two Chautala factions and players like BSP in the state. It seems chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s “clean” image and initiatives to boost agriculture, urban infrastructure and transparent recruitment may have paid off.
Though exit polls have been known to err, the projections will please Modi and BJP chief and home minister Amit Shah as it indicates that the opposition’s campaign about a stalling economy — a major theme in political and policy circles — has not cut much ice with voters.
The “nationalist” sentiment was in the play in the run-up to these assembly elections in a big way, with BJP highlighting Article 370, NRC and Pakistan as major issues.
If the projections hold true on Thursday when the results will be out, BJP will have two state satraps to fete, with Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and Haryana’s Khattar justifying the faith reposed in them by the party brass.
A good result should encourage the Modi government to push ahead with reforms, such as the corporate tax cuts that it has initiated in response to the economic slowdown. Coming ahead of the winter session of Parliament due to begin on November 18, the results will also embolden the government to push through contentious legislation like the citizenship amendment bill that seeks to provide minority migrants from neighbouring countries a path to Indian citizenship and, going by the escalating buzz, Uniform Civil Code. It will also be in a better position to deal with Congress and other opponents on its stand on abrogation of “special status” of J&K, as well as Pakistan.
While addressing election rallies in Haryana, the Prime Minister had vowed not to allow India’s share of Indus waters to flow to Pakistan, a resolve which the hostile neighbour promptly termed an “act of aggression”.
For Congress, the results may deepen the leadership crisis triggered by the Lok Sabha debacle and Rahul Gandhi’s decision to quit as party chief. Intense infighting, defections and a repetition of themes like Rafale that did not work in the Lok Sabha polls may have cost the party in the assembly elections too. The leadership might come under increasing pressure to dilute its opposition to the Modi government’s moves on Jammu & Kashmir and align the party’s stand with popular feelings.
