It's 'Mission 60 plus' for BJP in Haryana

The saffron party is contesting from all 90 seats in the assembly polls next month

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is gearing up for Haryana assembly polls to be held next month with its "Mission 60 plus" campaign.

The campaign takes cue from senior BJP leader and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who recently asked the state party unit to revise the number of their 'Mission 46 plus' (majority needed to form the government in Haryana) to 'Mission 60 plus'.

The saffron party that was restricted to playing second fiddle to Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and the then Bansi Lal-led Haryana Vikas Party (later merged with Congress) has decided to contest from all the 90 assembly seats on its own in the upcoming polls on October 15.

From having six legislators in 2000, two in 2005 and just four in 2009, BJP is hoping to wrest power from the Congress, which won the mandate for the past two consecutive terms.

"People gave us overwhelming support in the Lok Sabha polls. They are fed up with the Congress rule in the state, which has taken Haryana backward with corruption, land scams, poor law and order, unemployment and lopsided development. These have been the main achievements of the Hooda government," Haryana BJP legislature leader and Ambala Cantt MLA, Anil Vij said.

Vij added that "people will reject the Congress and other parties and bring BJP to power to usher in an era of peace and overall development in the state".

BJP's best electoral performance in the state so far has been winning 16 seats out of the 20 contested by the party in 1987, when Devi Lal-led INLD had swept to power.

However, in 1991, BJP again went down, managing to win just two seats. In 1996, the party went on to win 11 seats.

After former Deputy Chief Minister Dr Mangal Sain, BJP failed to bring out leaders who would match his popularity and appeal.

For the October 15 elections, the party had released its first list of 43 candidates on September 9 that included many turncoats who recently joined the outfit, mainly from the Congress and INLD.

The list also included Birender Singh who snapped his 42-year-old ties with the Congress.