Contrary to exit polls, the BJP retained power in Haryana while the National Conference and Congress managed to get a clear majority in Jammu and Kashmir. A resurgent Congress was projected to win more seats, but it was the BJP which received a boost just months after its poor show in the Lok Sabha polls.
It’s going to be a third term for the saffron party in Haryana, which is not among its traditional strongholds, while former J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah is likely to lead a new government with diminished powers under a Lieutenant Governor.
A day after the results, here’s what the papers said.
The Indian Express
“BJP gets post-240 booster shot,” noted the banner headline, with pictures of PM Modi with JP Nadda and Omar Abdullah greeting supporters and party workers.
The paper’s editorial noted that the outcomes in Haryana and J&K “are momentous in different ways”.
In Haryana, it said, the BJP coursed to a “historic third consecutive win in a state that is not a traditional bastion”. “Its victory, only months after the unambiguous setback in the Lok Sabha verdict in June, speaks of the party’s ability to get back on its feet again and go for the win. For students of Indian politics, it is a cautionary tale — this country’s politics retains its ability to spring a surprise.”
In J&K, the people “have cast aside narratives of alienation and boycott politics and embraced a new consensus on political participation and electoral engagement”. It also said the Congress was being a “sore loser”. “It has become the first mainstream party to question an election result in an electoral system deservedly applauded for its streamlined machinery and impeccable credibility. That the Congress is imputing that the Haryana election was less than free and fair is outrageous. It speaks of a sore loser and, much more than that, an irresponsible stakeholder.”
The Hindu
“BJP keeps Haryana, NC-led alliance bags J&K,” read the lead headline on the front page, with pictures of Omar Abdullah and Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini.
The editorial noted that the BJP and INDIA bloc had emerged as clear winners in Haryana and J&K. For Haryana, it said the “BJP’s astute social engineering, gaining support from non-Jat OBCs by propping up leaders from among them, besides its strengths in urban areas, helped it sail through. This is a remarkable achievement for the BJP which was saddled not just with anti-incumbency but also facing a resurgent Congress that was projected to win more seats. While the farmer and wrestler-led agitations helped the Congress to do well in rural areas, it was not enough to break the BJP’s social coalition there or dent the BJP’s urban strongholds.”
The Telegraph
The main headline read “Haryana bout: BJP floors Cong”, with a picture of wrestler-turned-politician and the newly-elected Julana MLA Vinesh Phogat, headlined “Against the tide forever”.
“NC reaps 370 angst mandate”, said the second headline with a picture of Omar. Another referred to the Congress’s remarks on the electoral process. “Vanquished party finds a villain: EVM charge,” it read.
The editorial hailed the BJP’s performance in Haryana as one of its most spectacular triumphs. “The loss in Haryana is likely to impair the momentum that the Opposition had gained after the Lok Sabha polls and also cement the perception that the Congress comes up second-best in direct contests with the BJP in northern India.”
Another editorial pointed to the “nettled crown” in J&K. “This victory sets the NC-Congress alliance on a steep and rocky path of challenges, not least of which will be functioning with a little more than municipal powers under a lieutenant-governor most likely to be adversarial. The consistent friction between the Aam Aadmi Party government and a succession of lieutenant-governors in Delhi comes to mind. Aligning Jammu, too, will prove demanding. The NC must also worry about its manifesto pitch and some of the high-voltage but improbable promises it has made. Neither grant of statehood nor the restoration of Article 370 (on which the Congress remains pertinently silent) is within the powers of the new government. The NC has interpreted the Valley verdict as fundamentally against the August 5, 2019 decisions, it is an interpretation that will likely come to haunt the NC.”
Times of India
“BJP 1, NC-Cong 1, pollsters 0,” read the main headline on the front page.
The editorial was headlined “voters’ country”. “As BJP and Congress equalised on welfare packages over the last few years, and especially during campaigning for Lok Sabha polls, much rode on the first round of assembly elections to be held right after. Congress’s slack showed: an embarrassing loss in Haryana and a worse-than-2014 performance in J&K. Kharge and Gandhis failed to do in Haryana what they did in Karnataka – manage their factions. Meanwhile, the boost for BJP in Haryana despite the odds – from discontent among farmers on MSP and disquiet over Agnipath to unease over BJP’s handling of the wrestlers’ protest – doesn’t make the road any smoother for it in Maharashtra. Voters can’t wait to make political parties dance again.”
Hindustan Times
“Historic Haryana hat-trick for BJP, INDIA begins new innings in J&K,” read the banner headline.
The paper had two editorials on the results. One said that the Haryana “outcome will puncture the opposition narrative that the fall in the BJP’s seats in the general elections marks the beginning of a trend, and the beginning of the end”. The editorial on the J&K results noted that the onus now “is on the political mainstream to reciprocate the trust of the voters in electoral democracy and deliver on governance”.
Business Standard
The poll results were the second story on the front page, which led with the markets snapping a six-day losing streak. “Historic Haryana hattrick for BJP; NC-Cong takes J&K,” read the headline to the election package.
The editorial noted that the outcomes signal a pivotal moment for both regions as they face distinct challenges ahead
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