Grim prospects behind AAP decision to skip Haryana polls?

Pankaj Sharma/Zee Research Group

It’s now official: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will not participate in the upcoming assembly elections in Haryana, Maharashtra, J&K and Jharkhand due to limited resources. The decision of AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal to skip the upcoming Haryana polls seems to be a right one, if statistics are to be believed. In the recently held parliamentary election, the newborn party failed to impress voters both at the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha levels. A detailed study by Zee Research Group (ZRG) of votes polled in Lok Sabha constituencies taking into consideration assembly seats falling within them shows a clearer result. As per the study, AAP which fought in all 10 Lok Sabha constituencies with 90 Vidhan Sabha seats couldn’t get the first berth on any of them. In Haryana, each Lok Sabha seat comprises nine assembly constituencies. Gurgaon was the only assembly seat to secure the maximum number (27601) of votes for AAP. However, in Uchana Kalan Vidhan Sabha constituency, the party only got 15 votes. Surprisingly, there were a total of nine legislative assembly seats where the party couldn’t even get the support of 100 voters. Earlier, reports suggested that Yogendra Yadav favoured the decision to contest the state polls. While Kejriwal has decided to skip the state election in Haryana, Yadav has expressed his unhappiness over the decision. Yadav, who was once considered as the party’s face for 2014 Haryana polls, wanted his party to fight in state as around 5 lakh voters stood with the party in general election. However, the number is little if we compare it with the average of votes polled for top five parties in last state polls. In 2009 state polls, the average votes secured by BJP, Congress, INLD, HJCBL and BSP was more than 22 lakh. In fact, in the polls, BSP could secure more than six lakh votes. Surprisingly, even with such numbers, the party could bag only one seat. BJP rules the roost at Vidhan Sabha level Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which fought the general election in alliance with Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC) had bagged 52 out of 72 Vidhan Sabha. In Lok Sabha polls, the saffron party won seven out of eight seats contested from the state. Moreover, HJC won seven out of 18 assembly seats from the state. Om Prakash Chautala’s Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) bagged the second highest numbers at both Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha levels. While the party won two parliamentary seats, in Vidhan Sabha they got 16 seats. The party fought on all Lok Sabha seats. Congress also got 15 out of 90 Vidhan Sabha seats in the state. Rohtak was the only parliamentary seat which was won by country’s oldest party.