Lotus Roots Run Deep

The return of RSS cadre and the BJP’s grooming of second-rung leaders across the country bode well for its future

- PRATUL SHARMA

IN MARCH, HARYANA Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini sought a vote of confidence in the assembly after the Bharatiya Janata Party picked him to replace two-term chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar.

Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda ridiculed the new chief minister, saying he was just a night watchman for his party. In the months that followed, Saini made policy announcements to tide over anti-incumbency. Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah rolled out a strategy to counter the Congress' focus on jawan, kisan and pehalwan.

Now known as the 35-1 strategy, the BJP leaders looked for ways to consolidate votes from 35 of the 36 prominent communities in the state, since the Congress focused on the Jats who constitute 25 per cent of the population. They actively wooed the remaining 75 per cent.

Saini promised permanent jobs to Agniveers and enhanced quota for OBCs. And, when the votes were counted, it became evident that OBCs, Punjabis, dalits and even a section of the Jats had backed the BJP. Also, the fear of the return of farmers' agitation and a Jat government led to consolidation in favour of the saffron party.

The showing in Haryana was honed in previous elections; in Madhya Pradesh, where the party faced similar anti-incumbency sentiments, and even in Chhattisgarh, where the Congress was poised for victory. If Kamal Nath was vocal about his aspirations to be the chief minister in Madhya Pradesh, Hooda left no doubts about his.

This caused a schism within the party and even led to complacency.

Moreover, as the Congress celebrated winning five of 10 Lok Sabha seats in the state, the BJP crunched the numbers and found that it was ahead in 44 assembly segments and looked at how to use that information in the assembly polls.