Buoyed with the grand success by securing all the 10 Lok Sabha seats from Haryana in 2019, leading in 78 Assembly segments and ending runner up in the other 11 segments, the BJP has set the target of 75 + seats out of the total 90 in the upcoming assembly polls.

The saffron party in the last Lok Sabha polls emerged victorious in the three Lok Sabha seats of Rohtak, Hisar and Sirsa, which are considered to be the Jat heartland. Coming back to the assembly polls, in 1987 BJP-Lok Dal alliance had secured 76 seats, of which BJP’s share was 16. The election was fought under the leadership of towering Jat leader Chowdhary Devi Lal, popularly known as Tau (elder uncle) across the state.

The Congress then had emerged victorious in 5 seats.  Commenting on the results, Devi Lal had said the 5 Congress MLAs were enough to take mortal remains of the party to the cremation ground as four MLAs will carry the dead body and the fifth will lead the thin crowd of the mourners by carrying a pitcher filled with water.

Despite huge mandate, in the following years the state witnessed four CMs including Devi Lal. Soon after 1989 Lok Sabha polls, Devi Lal joined the Vishwanath Pratap Singh government as the Deputy PM. He was succeeded by his son OP Chautala, who did not have a very long run as the by-election from Meham seat, though which he planned entry in assembly, ran into controversy. Thus he was succeeded by Banarsi Das Gupta.

However, Chautala returned after only to quit office once again and be succeeded by Hukam Singh. He once again returned but did not survive for long and President’s rule was imposed in the state. Devi Lal had created complications by withdrawing support to the VP Singh government following the implementation of the Mandal Commission report. He joined the Chandra Shekhar government, which followed again as the Deputy PM.

Prior to this in 1977, the Janata Party secured 75 seats, Vishal Haryana Party of the former Chief Minister Rao Birender Singh got 5 seats and Congress just 3.  Devi Lal was elected as Chief Minister but was as unlucky as his son and his government too fell due to infighting in the party.

A senior Minister in his government, Bhajan Lal garnered support of the majority of MLAs and ultimately took over as the CM. He later switched over along with his MLAs and government to the Congress Party claiming it to be his home coming to the party.  He will remembered for openly luring MLAs to switch over due to different kind of consideration. 

For now, it seems that CM Manohar Lal will certainly return to the power by securing substantial numbers of the seats in the Assembly as he managed to survive despite the gruesome Jat reservation agitation and wide spread violence at Panchkula at the time of judgment on Ram Rahim episode.

The BJP owes to Ram Rahim for his help during 2014 Assembly elections. It is learnt that the Dera at Sirsa has once again become active despite the absence of Ram Rahim. The BJP is in a comfortable position because of multi-pronged contests on almost all constituencies, lack of any well stitched alliance against the saffron party, sharp division in the party nurtured by Devi Lal and entry of over 20 last time winners of other parties in to the saffron party and most of them being rewarded ticket by the party presently being managed by the working president JP Nadda.

Further the CM Manohar Lal continues to enjoy confidence of the PM, Home Minister Amit Shah and key RSS functionaries.  The party could secure around 24% more votes in 2019 Lok Sabha elections in comparison to 34.1% secured in 2014 Assembly elections; this is certainly a huge rise in the vote percentage which may bring encouraging results in 2019 assembly elections.

The BJP has succeeded peaking the election campaign to crescendo despite a slew of fissures witnessed during ticket distribution. A few dissidents are contesting as Independents but they are not likely to cut any ice in the present multi cornered contests; in fact, they will add to the division of votes, hence, helping the party to earn maximum points.

The BJP which was earlier seen as a party of Banias and Punjabis is now well represented by all sections of the society including Jats.  It has acquired a vast following in the districts of Hisar, Sirsa and other nearby districts, as evident from the victory of Dr Brijender Singh from Hisar in 2019 Parliament elections. The division in the Congress is becoming a cause of concern for the managers at national.