Breaking Views: What Do Haryana, Maharashtra Poll Results Tell Us?

In Maharashtra, a weak BJP-Shiv Sena government returns. And in Haryana, BJP was not able to secure a majority.

Voters keep issues of Lok Sabha and State Assembly separate.

(Photo: The Quint)

In Maharashtra, a weak BJP-Shiv Sena government returned to power, while in Haryana, BJP failed to secure a majority.

What do these results tell us?

BJP is not a winner in the states. It might come out as one in Delhi but that's because of one man – Narendra Modi. This means that the BJP’s formula to win on a national level doesn’t work at the state level.

The voters have different issues and it’s not necessary that the package that BJP is offering goes down well with every state each time.

The voter is not permanently happy with the BJP. This means that the Opposition has some scope but it’s absent. The Opposition is not capable of using this opportunity in their favour. Especially, Congress party fights without any will. Sometimes they fight as if they fight just for the sake of it.

Yet, the public is supporting them. After all, they want balance in a democracy. 

After losing in Lok Sabha elections, Congress had a chance because in Maharashtra and Haryana the party still has decent cadre. But they constantly find themselves under a cloud of indecision. This indecisiveness is due to lack of leadership crisis. However, due credits to NCP’s Sharad Pawar and Congress’ Bhupinder Singh Hooda for not letting the bypolls go unopposed for the BJP.

So, what do these results tell us?

Voters demarcate between Lok Sabha and State Assembly elections, based on their concerns on the state and national level. Their issues were not Article 370 and nationalism for the bypolls, but agrarian crisis and employment.

In Maharashtra, the BJP-Shiv Sena vote share has dropped 4 percent. It has dropped from 47 to 43 percent, but in comparison to Lok Sabha elections, this has been a 7 percent drop. In Haryana, BJP did not get a majority but their vote share has increased 3 percent. But in comparison to LS Polls, it has declined 22 percent.