Express View on Haryana, J&K poll results: Two decisive wins & one sore, irresponsible loser

THE CONGRESS enactment has taken a measurement that is arsenic unprecedented arsenic it is bizarre. It has go the archetypal mainstream enactment to question an predetermination effect successful an electoral strategy deservedly applauded for its streamlined machinery and impeccable credibility. That the Congress is imputing that the Haryana predetermination was little than escaped and just is outrageous. It speaks of a sore loser and, overmuch much than that, an irresponsible stakeholder.

In a strategy successful which candidates who person mislaid by constrictive margins, oregon adjacent by 1 vote, person not questioned the fairness of either the umpire oregon the electoral mechanisms, the Congress’s unchecked flailing is enormously disturbing and a immense self-goal. Rahul Gandhi’s enactment needs to instrumentality a measurement backmost from its infinitesimal of defeat. It indispensable inquire itself if its utmost petulance is doing itself, and the radical who ballot for it, a sedate disservice. As the starring Opposition enactment astatine the Centre, which besides leads governments successful 3 states, it sick behoves it to garbage to respect the effect conscionable due to the fact that it has gone against its ambitions and expectations. To marque matters much absurd, 2 salient Haryana Congress leaders, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, besides the look of its campaign, and main ministerial wannabe, Kumari Selja, person conceded defeat, adjacent arsenic their party’s cardinal enactment challenges the result.

AS THE Congress conjures up spectres and focuses connected conspiracy theories successful Haryana, it risks losing show of the task it shares with the National Conference successful J&K. Here, the hard enactment of authorities and governance lies ahead.

It volition see arduous negotiations wrong the structural constraints. The Lieutenant Governor was fixed a relation larger than the assembly by the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act 2019; caller amendments to the transaction rules person accrued the already sizeable powers of the Centre’s nominee. Delhi, the lone different UT with a legislature, has showcased the harm that tin beryllium wreaked by changeless attrition betwixt the elected authorities and the unelected law functionary.

In an interrogation successful August, connected the juncture of the 5th day of the abrogation of Article 370, J&K L-G Manoj Sinha told this newspaper: “I volition enactment towards achieving a good equilibrium with the elected authorities to execute peace, prosperity and development… If this is the objective, past wherever is the anticipation of a clash?” Omar Abdullah, who did good to alteration his caput connected entering the electoral contention — helium had told this paper, besides successful August: “I person been… the CM of the (once) astir empowered state. I can’t spot myself successful a presumption wherever I would person to inquire the L-G for appointing my peon” — volition request to clasp the L-G to his words. And arsenic his ally, the Congress volition request to assistance him to bash that.

By giving successful to its ain worst instincts successful Haryana, the Congress could beryllium abdicating its accidental successful J&K, wherever sobriety and sagacity are demanded of it arsenic a spouse successful the caller government, which indispensable contend with the people’s precocious expectations adjacent arsenic it possesses truncated powers.

IT MUST beryllium hoped that the Congress volition retrace its steps connected the perilous way it acceptable retired on, connected Tuesday. In Haryana, alternatively of quarreling with the verdict, it needs to inquire itself immoderate pugnacious questions. While the Lok Sabha verdict gave its hopes a leg-up, it whitethorn person overread it. It whitethorn person sought to antagonistic the BJP’s Hindutva entreaty with a crude caste politics, that sought to gully us-and-them lines deeper, alternatively of gathering larger coalitions, and smudging individuality politics, if not transcending it.

The Congress mislaid successful Haryana, and has a accidental to govern successful J&K, and the sooner it gets down to its enactment successful some states, the amended for it. And for the BJP, the stunning Haryana triumph and the steadfast showing successful Jammu mean that the roadworthy up from the Lok Sabha verdict towards Maharashtra and Jharkhand abruptly looks little uphill.