REPORTERS / AGENCIES
EVEN AS BJP has emerged as the single largest party with victory on 40 seats in Haryana, it would be a herculean task for the party to form the government in the state. The Bharatiya Janata Party, which had set a target of winning 75 seats in the 90-member Assembly, it has won only 40 seats. It needs 6 more MLAs to get the magic number to form the government. The Congress has won 31 seats.
| Haryana Result Status | |||
| Status Known For 90 out of 90 Constituencies | |||
| Party | Won | Leading | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bharatiya Janata Party | 33 | 7 | 40 |
| Haryana Lokhit Party | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Independent | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Indian National Congress | 28 | 3 | 31 |
| Indian National Lok Dal | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Jannayak Janta Party | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| Total | 80 | 10 | 90 |
The Dushyant Chautala-led JJP and the Independents are likely to play a key role in government formation in Haryana as the BJP and the Congress do not seem to attain majority on its own and remained locked in a tense fight.
Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda today reached out to opposition parties to form an alliance against the BJP government as the Congress, battling infighting and a drubbing in the Lok Sabha polls, put up an impressive show in the assembly elections.
The Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), which fought its maiden assembly polls, has won 10 seats while seven Independent candidates have registered victory. The INLD has won one seat.
If the trend holds, former deputy prime minister Devi Lal’s great-grandson Dushyant Chautala and the Independents are likely to emerge as kingmakers.
“This mandate is against the BJP. The JJP, INLD and others, including the Independents, should join hands with the Congress to keep the BJP at bay,” Hooda told reporters in Rohtak.
Hooda alleged the administration was putting pressure on the Independents at the behest of the BJP and not allowing them to move freely.
Commenting on the results and trends so far, JJP leader Dushyant Chautala said, “This shows there was huge anti-incumbency against the (Manohar Lal) Khattar government.”
Asked whom would his party support in the event of a hung assembly, the JJP leader said, “It is too early to say anything. We will first summon a meeting of our MLAs, decide who would be our leader in the House and then take it further.”
Taking a swipe at the BJP’s ‘mission’ of securing 75 seats, he said they will fall way short of their target as the “people of Haryana want change”.
State Congress chief Kumari Selja said the people of Haryana have rejected the BJP and are ready to “embrace a new dawn of justice”.
While incumbent Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has attained an unassailable lead of nearly 45,000 votes over his Congress rival in Karnal, many BJP ministers including—Capt Abhimanyu, Kavita Jain and Krishan Kumar Bedi—lost to their rivals.
MEANWHILE Home Minister Amit Shah thanks the people of Haryana for making BJP the single largest party in the state once again. “In the last 5 years, the Khattar government under Modiji’s central leadership made every effort for the welfare of the people of Haryana. I congratulate the public for making BJP the largest party and giving it a chance to serve them again. Chief Minister. Congratulations to Manohar Lal Khattar, Subhash Barala and all the workers,” Shah said.
Punjab CM Amarinder Singh Credited Bhupinder Singh Hooda for Gains in Haryana. On being asked ‘Do you give credit to Bhupinder Singh Hooda for Haryana?’, Punjab chief minister says, “100%, to our party, to our party workers. We really won the show, with a little more effort We would have won.”