The Aryavarth Express
Agency (Haryana): The Congress achieved significant gains in Haryana, capturing five Lok Sabha seats and dealing a setback to the ruling BJP, which saw its tally reduced from ten to five. This shift occurs ahead of the state assembly polls scheduled later this year.
In Rohtak, Deepender Singh Hooda won with the highest margin, while veteran Kumari Selja secured a substantial victory in Sirsa. Notable BJP winners included former Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar (Karnal) and Union ministers Rao Inderjit Singh (Gurgaon) and Krishan Pal Gurjar (Faridabad). In contrast, the 2019 elections saw the BJP winning all ten seats in Haryana.
The JJP, which contested all ten seats, along with the INLD and BSP, which contested seven and nine seats respectively, faced severe losses. JJP leader Dushyant Chautala expressed his pride in the voters for strengthening the country, but also apologized for not meeting their expectations while in government.
In the Karnal assembly constituency bypoll, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini won convincingly, leading by 41,540 votes over Congress nominee Tarlochan Singh. Saini replaced Khattar as chief minister in March, just before the Lok Sabha polls were announced, while Khattar contested the Karnal parliamentary seat.
The upcoming state assembly polls pose a challenge for Saini, but the Congress’s gains in five seats provide a boost to their camp. BJP sitting MP Dharambir Singh retained his Bhiwani-Mahendragarh seat, while Arvind Sharma lost to Deepender Hooda in Rohtak.
The BJP introduced new candidates in Sonipat, Hisar, Sirsa, and Ambala, but most lost except Naveen Jindal, who won in Kurukshetra. Prominent losers included Congress’s Raj Babbar (Gurgaon), BJP’s Ranjit Chautala and JJP’s Naina Chautala (Hisar), AAP’s Sushil Gupta (Kurukshetra), and INLD’s Abhay Singh Chautala.
Deepender Hooda defeated BJP’s Arvind Sharma in Rohtak by over 3.45 lakh votes, and Kumari Selja defeated BJP’s Ashok Tanwar in Sirsa by over 2.68 lakh votes. Bhupinder Singh Hooda, former Haryana chief minister, claimed that the Congress’s Lok Sabha performance will influence the upcoming state assembly elections.
Hooda highlighted issues like farmers’ plight, the Agnipath scheme, unemployment, law and order, and inflation as key problems the BJP failed to address. The Congress fielded candidates in nine seats while its INDIA bloc ally AAP contested the Kurukshetra seat.
Union Minister Rao Inderjit Singh retained his Gurgaon seat, winning by over 75,000 votes. Kumari Selja expressed her gratitude to the people of Sirsa and pledged to prioritize development, education, and health facilities.
Chief Minister Saini, reacting to his performance in Karnal, called it a victory for the people of Haryana and praised the NDA’s performance under Modi’s leadership. Bhupinder Hooda reiterated his belief in a wave favoring the Congress, criticizing the BJP for the Agnipath scheme and their handling of farmers’ issues and the treatment of protesting female wrestlers.
The BJP’s vote share in Haryana fell from 58.2 percent in 2019 to 46.11 percent, while the Congress’s vote share increased from 28.42 percent to 43.7 percent. AAP, contesting the Kurukshetra seat, managed a vote share of 3.49 percent.
Congress’s Satpal Brahmachari won the Sonipat seat by 21,816 votes, and Varun Chaudhary secured a victory in Ambala by 49,036 votes. INLD and JJP candidates lost their security deposits.