BJP 1, CONGRESS O

CONG VOTE SHARE IN HARYANA JUST 0.85% BEHIND BJP, BUT SEAT DIFFERENCE 11 ONC IMPROVES ITS VOTE SHARE BY 2.66%, ADDS 27 SEATS TO ITS 2014 TALLY

- HARPREET BAJWA

'Double-engine' sarkar for 3rd consecutive time @Chandigarh

DESPITE facing huge anti-incumbency, farmers' unrest, protest by wrestlers and widespread discontent over the Agniveer scheme, the BJP managed to retain power for the third consecutive term in Haryana. No party has won a third consecutive term in the state ever since its inception in 1966. This mandate for the 'double-engine sarkar' could have a bearing on the forthcoming polls in Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Delhi.

While the BJP got 48 seats - 8 more than 2019- and crossed the halfway mark of 46, it was just 0.85% ahead of the Congress in terms of vote share. The Congress had a whopping 11.01% positive swing, yet it could add just six seats to its 2019 tally of 31. The AAP scored a duck but polled 1.79% votes. At hindsight, had the Congress done a deal with AAP, it could have possibly made a winning combination.