Maharashtra assembly elections: Haryana win a booster for Maharashtra BJP

Though Haryana differs from Maharashtra on many counts, the Bharatiya Janata Party's win in the northern state has enthused the party's rank and file to go all out to score a hat-trick in the forthcoming Assembly elections. As far as Jammu and Kashmir is concerned, the party said it had defeated Pakistan-sponsored propaganda by conducting peaceful, free and fair elections.

Party insiders said that the model of consistent hard work that bore fruit in Haryana is also being implemented in Maharashtra with tweaks wherever required. The issues that the Opposition had exploited to its benefit in the Lok Sabha elections were neutralised by reaching out to the people. While the Congress rode high on hope, which was further brightened by pro surveys and exit polls that led to infighting in its rank, the BJP worked minutely to turn the negatives into positives. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) cadre is learnt to have gone through the rigours of connecting with the people of Haryana for four months. It has also been made active in Maharashtra immediately after the Lok Sabha results that were very poor for the state BJP.

IN PHOTOS: BJP Mumbai celebrates party`s win in Haryana Assembly polls

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"Though the two states differ, there are some issues that are national. The BJP countered some narratives, especially the Constitution-related one, which worked during the Lok Sabha polls," said a senior BJP leader, adding that the party had taken a similar challenge of demolishing the Opposition's ‘fake narrative' in Maharashtra, which had helped the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) to reduce the BJP's numbers drastically in the summer.

DyCM promises repeat

Celebrating victory at the state party headquarters, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said Haryana had voted against the ‘fake narrative'. "In the Lok Sabha polls, we were not defeated by the Opposition, but by a fake narrative. And the day we realised it, we decided to counter it with a direct narrative. Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir were the first test for us. The MVA leaders had already predicted defeat and prepared a script for today. I want to ask them how they are feeling now. What happened in Haryana today will happen in Maharashtra in November," he told a cheering crowd.

The posters at the BJP's Nariman Point HQ proclaimed loudly: ‘Haryana to jhanki hain, Maharashtra abhi baaki hai' (Maharashtra next after Haryana).
According to the DyCM, Haryana's was a record achievement because the party's house strength was about to be increased by 10, from 40 to 50, and a single party would be forming its third consecutive government for the first time in the state in 60 years.

Unlike Haryana, Maharashtra has a multiparty system. The BJP-led alliance was in power between 2014 and 2019. Despite the alliance winning a majority, the BJP could not form a government in 2019 because the Shiv Sena parted ways to join the Opposition alliance. The BJP came back to power but took a backseat giving up the CM's post for the Eknath Shinde-led Sena splinter. Later the Nationalist Congress Party broke, with Ajit Pawar joining the government. Now it's a three-party alliance on both sides against Haryana's contest between two major parties, the BJP and Congress.

While encouraging the rank and file to go all out, Fadnavis said the party would ensure that the Haryana victory did not make it arrogant. "The victory has taught us modesty. A fake narrative can win one election, but those working for the people win repeatedly," he added.

"The meaning of the Haryana victory is that the people back Narendra Modi, not anyone else. The people will not fall for Rahul Gandhi's natak-nautanki [drama]. The win has boosted the party workers' confidence, and grounded high flyers [from the Opposition]."

‘J&K busted Pak propaganda'

Commenting on the Jammu and Kashmir elections, Fadnavis said that a peaceful election had established the immense strength of our democracy and defeated Pakistan's propaganda that the Army controlled the state.

"Some people said that the abrogation of Article 370 will lead to a bloodbath in Jammu and Kashmir. We had invited representatives of various countries to observe the state and showed them that a free and fair election was conducted by the Election Commission and the Centre. The people-elected government will be made there," added Fadnavis.

Thackeray sticks by it

Speaking at an NGO conclave in Mumbai, Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray said that the fake narrative the BJP had been talking about was true, because, in reality, they could amend the Constitution only if they had 400 seats in the Lok Sabha. "They actually wanted to amend the Constitution," he added.

‘MVA will win in Maharashtra'

Ramesh Chennithala, Congress's Maharashtra in-charge, said the party was not upset because of the Haryana results. "The situations in Maharashtra and Haryana are entirely different. The MVA has the people's support. We will form our government," he said, adding that the party would analyse the results at the top level.