INDIA Bloc Allies Attack Congress's Solo Strategy After Shocking Haryana Defeat

As the Congress faced an unexpected defeat in Haryana, its allies expressed disappointment, with Shiv Sena (UBT)'s mouthpiece Saamana criticizing the party's overconfidence. In its editorial, Saamana targeted Congress leadership, particularly Bhupinder Hooda, for mishandling the election.

Quoting the story, The Times of India reported: "The results of the Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir assembly elections were surprising for both the BJP and Congress. In Haryana, the Congress's defeat is due to overconfidence. The general atmosphere indicated a decisive win for Congress, but their ability to turn a victory into defeat is astonishing."

The editorial underscored the anti-BJP sentiment in Haryana, noting that BJP ministers were being barred from entering villages, yet the Congress failed to capitalize on this. It also pointed out that infighting between Hooda and Kumari Shelja weakened the party's organization, contributing to its loss.

"Hooda and his loyalists publicly humiliated Shelja, and the Congress high command in Delhi couldn't stop it. The BJP secured victory in Haryana because the Congress lacked organizational strength," the editorial added.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut echoed this sentiment, stating that the Congress could have performed better if it had collaborated with allies like the Samajwadi Party and AAP. "The INDIA alliance couldn't win in Haryana because Congress believed it could go solo. If they had shared seats with smaller parties, the outcome might have been different."

Raut further criticized the Congress, warning that if the party continues to pursue a solo strategy nationwide, it risks alienating its allies. He emphasized that the saffron party won in Haryana, but predicted that the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance would prevail in Maharashtra, citing strong opposition to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and state leaders Devendra Fadnavis and Eknath Shinde.

The BJP had performed badly in the Lok Sabha elections in Haryana and the exit polls had stated that the Congress will come back to power due to agrarian stress and unemployment issues along with farmers' and wrestlers' protests. In the end, the ruling party has secured 48 seats while the Congress managed to get 37 seats.
Other Congress allies, such as AAP and CPI, also raised concerns. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal emphasized the dangers of overconfidence, warning that "no election should be taken lightly." CPI General Secretary D. Raja criticized Congress's decision to go solo, urging deeper introspection and better coordination within the INDIA bloc.

Meanwhile, Congress' Maharashtra chief Nana Patole objected to the Saamana editorial and Raut's comments. "You cannot make such remarks about the alliance in public. Haryana and Maharashtra are two different states," Patole stated, defending the Congress's position.