For Congress, anti-incumbency may prove a setback in Haryana

The Congress faces strong anti-incumbency in Haryana, where it won nine out of the ten seats in the 2004 and 2009 Lok Sabha elections.

Opposition divided

The party is now fighting to retain the ‘number one’ position in the State; the disunity among Opposition parties is the only factor in the party’s favour. The anti-incumbency is built on several factors. The youth question the Congress for unemployment, and for farmers, the issue is power cut. When it comes to women, it is the lack of security. Issues such as corruption, land grab charges, family rules, and the allegation that development is concentrated only in certain pockets, are also putting the Congress in defence.

Its strategies to counter the Opposition’s onslaught are also not working well on the ground, though.

The last-minute decision of the United Progressive Alliance Government to implement reservation for Jats is also being tested on the ground. The principal Opposition, the Indian National Lok Dal, is raking up the ‘Jat pride’ insisting that reservation should be based on economic criteria. Dalits and other backward classes, those who have been traditionally supporting the Congress, fear that the ‘affluent’ Jats will take away Government jobs from them.

Minimum Support Price Citing higher input costs, small and marginal farmers say the increase in Minimum Support Price has not helped them, and that only big farmers have benefited under the Congress rule.

The voters in Haryana, like their counterparts in other States, too, have become more vigilant in the last ten years.

The youth seem to be more concerned about the issueof corruption than the Congress’s promises of 10 crore jobs in 10 years.

The party faces a triangular fight in almost all 10 seats. Except in seats like Rohtak, where the young MP, Deepender Hooda, is seeking a third term, the Congress is unable to find a safe seat in Haryana.

According to reliable sources in the party leadership, it will remain the single-largest party, but will be able to retain five or six seats in the State. The grand old party, however, has not limited its campaign.

“There is no anti-incumbency in Haryana. We are fighting this election based on the work done by the State and Centre Governments. It’s there for everyone to see. We have provided an all-inclusive development. This so-called Gujarat model is no match to our Haryana model,” State Chief Minister, Bhoopinder Singh Hooda, told Business Line.

Hooda said the allegations of corruption by the Opposition have no basis. “Two top leaders of the Opposition are in jail for indulging in corruption. They allege that we are corrupt. People will reject such allegations with the contempt it deserves,” Hooda added. The President of the Haryana unit of the Congress and candidate in Sirsa, Ashok Tanwar, said those who want development will stand with the Congress.

He told Business Line that the criticism against the Congress isn’t strong enough to block it from coming back to power.

Selection of candidates The Congress also points out that the Opposition is desperate for power and it this is visible in the way candidates were selected by the BJP.

“They were poaching from the Congress. The BJP has no base in Haryana. Both the BJP and the INLD are using Narendra Modi’s name to win votes. But Modi can do no magic here,” Tanwar adds

The inability of the BJP and the INLD to reach an understanding has also helped the Congress.

The presence of Aam Aadmi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party, however, are cutting into the Congress’s votes.

The party, however, believes that in a three-cornered fight, it has an edge.

COMMENT NOW