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| Congress maintain grip in Haryana, INLD-BJP wiped out |
| Press Trust of India / Chandigarh May 17, 2009, 14:51 IST |
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The Congress maintained its foot hold in Haryana, the INLD-BJP combine failed to get off the starting block while the BSP gained a strong foothold in many pockets in the just-concluded Lok Sabha polls.
The ruling Congress was expected to do well because of the development work carried out by the B S Hooda regime and UPA's role, resulting in a repeat its of 2004 performance by retaining nine of the 10 Lok Sabha seats.
What came as a surprise was that INLD-BJP combine failed to win any seat for the first time while fighting in alliance. It was particularly a dismal performance by the INLD, which ended up being on number one position in only seven assembly segments, managing only a couple in their stronghold in Sirsa district. Their ally the BJP could muster lead only in six assembly segments.
Despite stiff opposition by some state BJP leaders, the two parties had joined hands last year after parting ways on a bitter note before the 2004 Lok Sabha polls, in which INLD had received a severe drubbing while the saffron party had managed to win one seat.
The BSP, which fought independently on all the ten seats this time, managed to gain foothold in the constituencies of Ambala, Karnal and Gurgaon, finishing on top in eight assembly segments.
Of 8,142,029, the total votes polled out of 12.5 million votes in the State, Congress managed a lion's vote share of 41.73 per cent, INLD 15.75 per cent, BJP 12.11 per cent and Haryana Janhit Congress (BL) 10.02 per cent.
BSP was a surprise gainer at the cost of INLD-BJP as it managed to get a vote share of 15.73 per cent and though it could not win any seat the party was ahead of the alliance on Karnal and Gurgaon seats.
Though Congress' vote share since previous elections remained unaffected, BSP's share this time was up by 10.75 per cent. BJP's vote share this time was down by 5.1 per cent from 17.21 per cent in 2004 while INLD's share has gone down this time by about seven per cent from 22.43 per cent in 2004.
From a formidable force which had swept the 1999 Lok Sabha polls bagging five seats each in Haryana, the INLD-BJP combine has been losing ground in the state.
In the 2005 state Assembly polls, the INLD not just lost power but it managed to win only nine seats out of 90 while the BJP could manage to win just two. This loss was further compounded when its MLA R K Gautam later switched loyalties to Congress after resigning from the state assembly.
What dealt another blow for the INLD this time was the defeat of the party's secretary general Ajay Chautala from Bhiwani-Mahendergarh Lok Sabha seat. Meanwhile, with the emphatic win by Congress at the Lok Sabha polls and having emerged on top in the 59 assembly segments, the demand for early state Assembly elections, which are otherwise due early next year, may get fresh impetus.
Senior Congress leader Shamsher Singh Surjewala had earlier mooted the idea of holding state elections along with the Lok Sabha polls, but as several MLAs of the party were unsure, the idea was dropped.
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