What BJP Wants To Achieve With Power Rejig In Haryana Ahead Of Lok Sabha Polls?

In a fast-paced development that surprised even political analysts, the BJP went for a power rejig in Haryana replacing its Chief Minister within hours. While sitting CM Manohar Lal Khattar resigned from the post, the BJP made party's Haryana president Nayab Singh Saini as next Chief Minister of the state. By replacing Khattar, the BJP has attempted to achieve multiple objectives ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. Let's take a look at some of them:

Fighting Anti-Incumbency

By replacing CM Khattar months ahead of the assembly elections, the BJP has played a gamble just like that of Gujarat where it changed the entire cabinet. Induction of fresh faces will not only fuse new enthusiasm in the BJP cadre but will also help combat anti-incumbency. The BJP is also likely to rejig the Haryana cabinet. According to BJP leaders, Saini will select his cabinet in the coming days. Nayab Singh Saini comes from the OBC section and is an MP from the Kurukshetra seat. Recently, the Congress and AAP formed an alliance under which the Kurukshetra seat went to the AAP. Now, by making Saini the Chief Minister of the state, the BJP has given new aspirations to the people of the Kurukshetra and it may prove tough for the AAP to win the seat.

Message To Maharashtra, NDA Allies

If you go back to the 2019 Maharashtra assembly polls, the BJP did not bow down to the Shiv Sena's demand for a shared CM post and the alliance broke. By breaking the alliance, the BJP sent a message to its allies that it would prefer to sit in opposition rather than succumb to pressure. Now, by breaking away from the alliance with the JJP, the BJP against sent a message to its allies that it won't bow down to seat-sharing pressure and may rather opt to go solo. The BJP is facing alliance trouble in Bihar and Maharashtra and with the Haryana move, it has sent a veiled message to Pashupati Paras' Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party (RLJP) and NCP (Ajit Pawar).

Mission 400

The BJP is trying to win 370 seats alone and 400 seats with its allies. If the BJP hands out more seats to the allies in the state where it has full control, then it will hurt the party's Lok Sabha tally. In Haryana, the BJP had won all the 10 seats in the 2019 polls. The JJP was demanding 1-2 seats as part of the alliance which the BJP found unreasonable. Resignation by BJP Hisar MP Brijendra Singh also resigned and joined Congress citing various issues including alliance with the JJP. The BJP sensed anger among its voters and thus decided to sever ties with the JJP.