RJD president Lalu Prasad made a bold statement on Sunday, asserting that the anticipated victory of Congress in the Haryana assembly elections should be viewed as a clear defeat for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Speaking to journalists before catching his flight to Delhi, the former Bihar Chief Minister said, “Ye paraajay hai Narendra Modi ka” (this should be seen as a defeat of Narendra Modi).
As Lalu prepares to face a court hearing on Monday regarding the land-for-jobs scam from his time as Railway Minister in the previous UPA government, he was accompanied by family members, including his eldest daughter, Lok Sabha MP Misa Bharti. They are expected to join him in court as he faces allegations linked to the scandal.
Bharti chimed in on the election discussion, emphasizing that she views the Congress’s potential success as a win for the INDIA bloc, of which RJD is a crucial part. “Haryana is going to get a government of the people (janta ki sarkar),” she said, expressing optimism about the results.
The BJP has been in power in Haryana for two consecutive terms, but multiple exit polls released on Saturday predict a decisive shift. Most of the polls indicated that Congress could reclaim power from the BJP in the 90-member Haryana Assembly. For instance, the ‘Dainik Bhaskar’ exit poll projected Congress to secure between 44-54 seats, while the BJP was estimated to win between 15-29 seats.
Other polls echoed this trend, with C-Voter-India Today forecasting Congress at 50-58 seats against the BJP’s 20-28 seats. The Republic Bharat-Matrize poll went even further, predicting Congress could reach 55-62 seats while the BJP might land between 18-24. Similarly, the Red Mike-Datansh poll suggested Congress would take 50-55 seats, while the BJP could manage only 20-25.
Moreover, the Dhruv Research exit poll positioned Congress at 50-64 seats and the BJP at 22-32. The Peoples’ Pulse exit poll also leaned in favor of Congress, predicting 49-60 seats for them and 20-32 for the BJP. Notably, many exit polls anticipated the INLD to outpace the JJP in terms of seat count.
With the counting of votes set for Tuesday, all eyes are on Haryana to see if these predictions hold true and what it might mean for the political landscape in India.
