With Assembly polls in Maharashtra due on November 20, the Opposition there is being forced to carry the albatross of the recent Haryana outcome. Right or wrong, the BJP’s shock victory in Haryana has sent a chill down the Opposition’s spine in Maharashtra ahead of the keenly-contested Assembly polls. Haryana handed a shock defeat to the Congress which had been the hot favourite in the media and also in the exit polls.
The BJP, which was the underdog, succeeded in creating a hat-trick to remain in power, surprising even a section of the party. The obvious question is whether the Haryana result will have an impact on Maharashtra, where the BJP-led Mahayuti is in the saddle and the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi is giving it a run for its money. No two elections are similar.
The politics of Haryana and Maharashtra is different, like chalk and cheese. Haryana is tiny compared to Maharashtra, and the problems faced by the western state are vastly different, and huge. That apart, the problem of agrarian distress as well as joblessness is common to both states.
Interestingly, the Haryana results made the constituents of the MVA equal partners, as the Congress can no longer play big brother. This could strengthen camaraderie in the MVA, and the feeling that unless they work like a band of brothers, they too would face an upset. For non-BJP members in the Mahayuti, the BJP would like to dominate and have its way in seat allocations.
The command of the BJP-led Mahayuti will be in th.
