Surprise Haryana election win boosts Modi and BJP, despite loss in Kashmir

NEW DELHI – A surprise election win in Haryana state has given Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) a much-needed boost, despite a loss in the election in Jammu and Kashmir.

- Nirmala Ganapathy

The Haryana victory is seen as a morale booster for the ruling BJP, which had been in the doldrums after performing below expectations in the April to June nationwide general election.

In election results declared on Oct 8, BJP won 48 out of 90 assembly seats in Haryana, bucking exit-poll predictions of a win for the opposition Congress party due to anti-incumbency. Congress won 36 seats and was leading in one more seat, according to the Election Commission website.

BJP's win in Haryana, where it has been in power for a decade, is seen to be due to its successful outreach to different caste groups, including Dalits, Mr Modi's popularity and highlighting infighting within Congress.

Dr Sandeep Shastri, national coordinator of the Lokniti Network, a network of scholars that conducts election surveys, said the win in Haryana would help the BJP recover to some extent from its poor showing in the 2024 general election. BJP - which had expected to win a third consecutive landslide majority - performed below expectations at the general election and did not secure a simple majority, but returned to power with the help of allies.

"It acts as a morale booster going into (the next set of state elections in) Jharkhand and Maharashtra, which will be a different ball game as there are strong alliance partners," said Dr Shastri.