A day after the voting for the high-stake Haryana Assembly elections, the political atmosphere is charged with ruling BJP and the opposition Congress, expressing strong confidence in securing a decisive victory. Contrary to the predictions of comfortable majority to the Congress in the exit polls, Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini expressed his confidence in the BJP’s ability to form the government without the need for alliances, while former Chief Minister and Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda predicted a sweeping victory for Congress, citing overwhelming public support for the party.
The Chief Minister said he believed that the BJP will secure a majority and form the government on its own. Dismissing the need for alliances, Saini asserted that the BJP has a well-structured campaign and robust party organisation behind it. “We will not need any kind of alliance. I have said from the very beginning that the BJP will form the government alone. We have all the arrangements in place,” Saini said.
He expressed gratitude towards the top leadership of the party, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP President JP Nadda, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, for guiding the campaign. Confident of victory, Saini remarked, “We will form the government with a full majority on October 8. I have this report. On the 8th, the people will give their answer, and Congress will say, ‘EVM hai kharab’ (faulty EVMs).”
Former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, who led the state from 2005 to 2014, is equally optimistic about a Congress victory. Hooda believes that the people of Haryana have decided to bring the Congress back to power with a significant majority, citing dissatisfaction with the BJP-JJP coalition government that ruled the state from 2014 to 2024.
“I want to thank all the voters of Haryana for conducting peaceful elections. The people have made up their minds to bring the Congress party to power with a huge majority. Congress was in power from 2005 to 2014, and people have seen our achievements, while they have also seen how the BJP-JJP government failed over the past decade,” Hooda stated.
Congress MP Kumari Selja supported Hooda’s optimism, stating that, based on her assessment, Congress would win over 60 seats. “Congress is seen as a viable alternative, and there was heavy anti-incumbency, especially among weaker sections who felt suppressed under BJP rule. Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra was a turning point,” Selja said.
Other Congress leaders echoed the confidence of Hooda and Selja. Haryana Congress chief Udai Bhan predicted that the party would break its 2005 record of 67 seats, estimating a win of around 70 seats. “The BJP did not fulfil a single commitment made to the public. The people have shown faith in the Congress party’s guarantees,” he said.
Congress MP Deepender Singh Hooda emphasized that Congress is making a comeback not just in Haryana but across North India, crediting Rahul Gandhi’s leadership during the Bharat Jodo Yatra for changing the mood in Haryana. “Our aim was to bring about change and establish Congress governance. The public will end the misrule of the BJP,” he remarked.
On the BJP front, Ambala Cantt candidate Anil Vij dismissed exit poll results favoring Congress, insisting that the BJP would secure a strong victory. “Exit polls have been wrong before. The vote percentage in Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s constituency decreased by 5%, while in my constituency, it increased by 3%. This means the public’s support for Congress has decreased,” Vij stated confidently.
Amid the battle between the BJP and Congress, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) also staked its claim, with Haryana AAP President Sushil Gupta stating that AAP’s entire campaign was centered around removing the “corrupt BJP government” from power. “The BJP will be removed from power.
AAP will get a significant vote share in the Haryana assembly elections,” Gupta asserted.
As both major parties, BJP and Congress, prepare for the results, it remains to be seen which party will ultimately form the next government in the state which has 90 assembly seats with the BJP banking on its organizational strength and Congress hoping that anti-incumbency and Rahul Gandhi’s campaign will tip the scales in its favour.
