First, the Jat versus non-Jat politics did not click in favour of the Congress. Moreover, the dominance of the Hoodas in campaigns and ticket distribution only showed the split in the party
The bonhomie and celebrations at the Congress headquarters early Tuesday morning slowly faded as reality dawned — the party had lost an election in Haryana, which they had almost won.
While the party grapples with an explanation, let us try to dissect what went wrong for the Congress.
First, the Jat versus non-Jat politics did not click in favour of the Congress. Giving Bhupinder Hooda the lion’s share in ticket distribution meant the Congress clearly made its fight Jat-friendly. But it ended up hurting non-Jats such as Scheduled Caste (SC), Brahmins, Dalits, Punjabis and others.
ALSO READ | Haryana Election Result 2024 LIVE Updates HERE
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) countered it by making Nayab Singh Saini the CM, which sent a message that unlike the Congress, which was projecting Jats, it actually cared for the backwards and Dalits.
Add to this the Kumari Selja factor. She clearly has had the revenge. Dalits account for 20% of the state’s population. And that’s why Selja mattered. But her sulk, not campaigning till almost the fag end and her comments that she cannot be ignored harmed the party’s Dalit vote bank.
#ResultsWithNews18 | Kumari Selja hits out at Hooda camp, “We as a party need to introspect who is behind this loss and what went wrong”@_pallavighosh shares more details#HaryanaElectionResult#HaryanaBJPHeadquaters#Haryana | @kritsweenpic.twitter.com/ev3dAhT2iS— News18 (@CNNnews18) October 8, 2024
With this, Rahul Gandhi’s caste census pitch and championing his party as a Dalit messiah did not quite click. Some felt if he really cared for Dalits, why was Selja kept out?
Moreover, getting Ashok Tanwar in just a day before polling, ended up antagonising Selja supporters as they felt that the top leadership was sending a message to her that there were alternatives to her as a Dalit leader.
The dominance of the Hoodas in campaigns and ticket distribution only showed the split in the party was another reason why the Congress lost. The party could not convince the voters that theirs could be a united government.
ALSO READ | ‘Congress Winning Many Seats But…’ Hooda Takes On ECI Over ‘Slow Upload’ Of Results On Site, Poll Body Responds
The results have put the Congress in a fix. While with Hoodas it believed that the regional satraps could win elections for them, it now makes them feel that ensuring everyone is seen equally is key. Also, maybe, it is time to look for new faces.
Satraps may not be the answer. A chakravyuh the party is caught in.
