INLD loss turns into saffron gain

adeep Sharma

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 24

The Indian National Lok Dal’s loss seems to be the BJP’s gain. A 22.51 per cent dip in the vote share of the INLD (24.4 per cent to 1.89 per cent) from 2014 to 2019 Lok Sabha elections has resulted in a 23.32 per cent jump in the vote share of the ruling BJP from 34.7 per cent to 58.02 per cent.

In fact, the BJP, which gave its best-ever performance in the state winning all 10 seats in Haryana, is not the only beneficiary of the INLD rout as the Congress has also improved its vote share from 22.9 per cent to 28.42 per cent. However, the Congress has not been able to win any seats this time. It won the Rohtak seat in the 2014 parliamentary elections.

Though a split in the INLD may have cost the party dear, its splinter group — the JJP —also performed much below people’s expectations. The vote share of the JJP, which fought its first Lok Sabha elections in alliance with the AAP, was pegged at 4.98 per cent. The AAP, which polled around 4.2 per cent of the votes in 2014, performed dismally, securing only 0.36 per cent of the votes in the current elections.

The BSP, which fought elections in alliance with the Loktantra Suraksha Party of BJP rebel leader Raj Kumar Saini, also reported a dip in its vote share from 4.6 per cent to 3.64 per cent. Its ally LSP fared slightly better than AAP polling around 0.45 per cent votes.

Sources said the split in the INLD coupled with its eroding mass base in the wake of some of its MLAs switching over to the BJP were primarily responsible for its dismal performance.

“The BJP’s stupendous performance is credited to the development agenda of the Central government under PM Narendra Modi and CM Manohar Lal Khattar. People’s disenchantment with the Opposition, which indulged in dynastic and caste-based politics, resulted in its poor performance,” said Rajiv Jain, Chief Minister’s Media Adviser.

Cong too benefits from INLD rout

The BJP, which gave its best-ever performance in the state winning all 10 seats in Haryana, is not the only beneficiary of the INLD rout as the Congress has also improved its vote share from 22.9 per cent to 28.42 per cent.  However, the Congress has not been able to win any seats this time. It won the Rohtak seat in the 2014 parliamentary elections.