The Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi reacted to the results of the Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana assembly elections. He expressed surprise at the Haryana election outcomes in a post on X. In his statement, Rahul wrote, “We are analyzing the unexpected result of Haryana. Complaints are coming from many assembly constituencies. We will inform the Election Commission about this. We will continue this struggle for rights, social and economic justice, and truth.” Additionally, he thanked the people for the victory of the I.N.D.I.A. alliance in Jammu and Kashmir.
However, leaders of the I.N.D.I.A. block questioned Congress’s strategy following the defeat against the BJP in Haryana. For instance, the Shiv Sena (Uddhav faction) criticized Congress in the editorial of its mouthpiece, Saamana, stating that “Congress knows how to turn victory into defeat.” Moreover, TMC leader Saket Gokhale, without directly naming Congress, suggested that arrogance and disdain for regional parties contributed to the loss.
In particular, the Shiv Sena emphasized in Saamana, “Congress needs to learn from the defeat in Haryana. The defeat in Haryana is the result of Congress’s overconfidence and the arrogance of the state leaders. Hooda did not take the non-Jat voters along, for which he had to suffer the consequences.”
Furthermore, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut remarked that if Congress intends to contest the elections alone in Maharashtra, they should inform their allies first. Raut noted that BJP emerged victorious despite the initial belief that Congress would win. This victory, he argued, was due to BJP’s systematic management.
Additionally, National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah stated that Congress must reflect deeply on the reasons for its defeat in Haryana. “I had already said that we are wasting our time trusting these exit polls. No one would have thought that the exit polls would be so wrong. Thirty became sixty, and sixty became thirty,” he remarked.
Lastly, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convenor Arvind Kejriwal addressed AAP’s municipal councillors on Tuesday, highlighting the significance of the election results in Haryana. He concluded, “The biggest lesson is that no one should be overconfident in elections. No election should be taken lightly. Every election and every seat is difficult.”