HARYANA ELECTIONS AND RISE OF REGIO-DYNASTIC POLITICS IN INDIA

The recently held Haryana elections provided an opportunity for weak opposition. The Haryana elections were termed as a referendum of the Modi government. The results of the Haryana elections brought some relief in opposition camps.
However, the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) is still in a position to form the provincial governments in both states. However, BJP’s seats are less than those of previous elections. Just five months after the government took over, the results are a blow to the government. The situation is that Narendra Modi is forced to negotiate with regional parties to form the government in these states. Although there is no threat to Modi’s central government, the results of the state elections suggest that the BJP’s political opponents are re-strengthening. India is currently suffering from economic uncertainty. At this time, the government must revisit its hyper-nationalism agenda and reverse the steps taken in Kashmir and Assam.
The number of provincial seats in Haryana is 90. The BJP won 47 seats in the 2014’s election and formed the government in this state for the first time. This was probably because Haryana, like the rest of India, was under the wave of populism. In the recent elections, however, the BJP won only 40 seats. The opposition managed to win 31 seats. This proves that the BJP does not have a natural base here. The BJP had to use money and power to attract voters. Besides, the party had nothing to show for its performance. The diminishing gap between the opposition and the government can affect the balance of power in the state.
SAD is a Sikh nationalist party. In the recent election, SAD participated independently. BJP and SAD were allies in the previous state elections. It also shows that the paths of the two parties will be split in the future.
There is a similar situation in Maharashtra. The BJP seats here have been reduced from 122 to 105. The total number of seats in the Maharashtra Assembly is 288. It is clear from this that the BJP will have to unite with right-wing Shiv Sena to form a government in Maharashtra. It would be a challenge for the government to handle a party with extremist ideology. The regional parties got benefit from the weakening of the BJP. The seats of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) have increased from 41 to 54. Both regional parties have also succeeded in bringing their children into politics. Pawar’s grandson Rohit Pawar and Thackeray’s son Aditya managed to win their seats.
The Congress party could not even win the state elections. Rahul Gandhi had to resign from the party presidency over the worst defeat in the general election. He talked about corruption in the Rafale deal but ignored regional issues altogether.
Haryana and Maharashtra are facing severe difficulties due to economic uncertainty. The BJP could not get much support from the countryside. According to experts, the BJP did not pay much attention to agriculture in these states. That is why people here are unhappy with the government.
The success of the new generation of Thackeray, Power, and Chautala is a lesson for Rahul Gandhi. Now Rahul Gandhi should understand that the people do not reject anti-Modi forces. The leadership of Congress must also understand how to convey its message to the masses. Nothing is stopping you from talking about corruption, but at the same time, talk about people’s fundamental issues. We can hope that these elections will bring stability in these states.

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