As Haryana goes to the polls today, the incumbent BJP, aiming for a third consecutive term, faces a formidable challenge from Congress, which is eager t💯🍬o reclaim power after a decade-long absence.
However, the dynamics in neighbouring Congress-ruled Himachal Pradesh could influence voter sentiments in Haryana, highlighting the interconnectedness of reg🦩ional politics in this election cওycle.
A pressing factor in the Haryana polling is the Congress's failed "guarantee model" in Himachal Pradesh, which the BJP has found to be aꦡ potent weapon to prove that the Congress guarantees rolled-out in Haryana, partially borrowed from Himachal Pradesh, will not work and are bound to collapse soon.
“T🐲he unfulfilled commitments have sparked widespread discontent in Himachal Pradesh—where the state is now struggling to pay salaries and pensions to the staff and retired employees. Most facilities available to the people have neither been withdrawn nor curtailed owing to the financial crisis” says Leader of O🧸pposition Jairam Thakur, who is campaigning in Haryana in the areas next to the state’s borders.
This, he says, has cast doubts on the Congress' credibility and potent🎀ial to influence v🃏oter sentiment in Haryana.
Thakur says the debt burden of Himachal Pradesh, currently at Rs 90,000 cr, will exceed Rs one lakh crore by the end of the year. The state has been pushed t꧑o bankruptcy. For the first time, government employees did not get their salaries in time and pensioners had to waiting for dues till September 𓄧10.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi while campaigning in Haryana, highlighted how the voters in the hill state, where the Congress had formed the government two years back, are𓆏𒉰 suffering, and even regretting choosing the Congress believing in its poll guarantees.
“Himachal Pradesh, your neighbouring state, is not so far from Haryana. Go and ask to see the situation. Nobody is happy with the governmenꦅt. Congress fed lies to every section. None of the promises (poll guarantees) have been fulfilled. The employees are forced to go on strike for their salaries. The pensioners have threatened protests. The Chief Minister and ministers' salaries are deferred for two months,” he reminded.
BJP’s national president J P Nadda also told women voters t𝓰hat a promise to pay Rs 1,500 per month to a💫ll eligible women in Himachal Pradesh had not been fulfilled. In Haryana, the Congress says it will pay financial support of Rs 2,000 per month to women.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, former Union Minister Anurag Thakur and state BJP president Rajeev Bindal during their recent rallies warned Haryana voters against trusting Congress🌟, citing the struggles🍸 of Himachal Pradesh.
As the congress leadership in Haryana could not come out with a stro𒊎ng defence, the party launched Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu and couple of Congress MLAs to counter the BJP’s concerted drive on “failed guarantee model”.
Sukhu, who had been unwell for over a week, finally joined the Congress campaign at Panchu🐻kla 🦂a day before the campaign came to an end.
Earlier last month, Sukhu was slated to address election rallies in Jammu and Kathu𓆏a areas but due to his sudden il🌠lness, he had to remove himself from the campaign.
“Moment the doctors declared him fit, the Chief Minister decided to join the party’s ca🌠mpaign in Haryana and counter the saffron party’s malicious propaganda and present misleading facts to the public there. The BJP has forgotten how it failed to topple duly elected congress government in Himachal Pradesh and also suffered defeat in the nine bypolls,” says Naresh Chauhan, the CM’s principal media advisor.
In his poll rally at Panchkula in favour of former Dy CM Chander Mohan, Sukhu launched a severe attack on the BJP leadership of the state for not providing correct facts to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Himachal Pradesh finances and fiscal prudence thatꦅ he has undertaken.
“Unlike the BJP, the promises made by Congress will be fulfilled without fail. The congress has done it in Himachal Pradesh, will do 💜the same in Haryana, a brother state” he said.
Sukhu said, “During elections in Haryana, Modi ji (Prime Minister) talked about Himachal, but I want to point out that the PM’s facts were not correct. The Congress government has met its main promise of the Old Pensi𝓡on Scheme (OPS) soon after coming to power. It has benefitted 1.36 lakh employees. Till now the government has fulfilled five out of 10 guarantees in just 20 months, despite a precarious financial position of the state for which the BJP is to blame.”
He said the state faced the worst disaster of the century but no help was received from the Centre. The state government settled 23,000 families without any central help,” he said and had announced 🐻a package of Rs 4500 cr for the affected families.
“We are on a fiscal correction path. The resource mobilisation is top most agenda. It’s in this regard, some of the subsidies of the taxpayers have been cut down and freebies stopped for affordable sections. We are working towards mak𝔍ing Himachal Pradesh self -reliant state by” he said
Nevertheless, the unf🐻ulfilled poll guarantees have generated a new debate as to why didn't the congress release the burden these could impose on the exchequer or state's capacity to afford such luxury at the cost of basic development needs.
The analysts say “This increased scrutiny of the congress's guar꧋antee model and their deliveries by the government, co𝐆uld also be a new test in the poll bound Haryana in keenly contested elections”
