‘The art of turning a victory into a defeat…’: Shiv Sena on Haryana Congress debacle | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: After the party’s unexpected loss in the Haryana electionsCongress INDIA block partner in Maharashtra focused on this, suggesting a re-evaluation of the election strategy. Shiv Sena (UBT) mouthpiece Saamana targeted the Congress in his editorial on Wednesday. The Saamana editorial board came down heavily on Bhupinder Hooda and Congress leaders, saying the reason for the party’s defeat in Haryana was overconfidence.
“The results of the assembly elections in Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir are surprising for both the BJP and the Congress. In Haryana, Congress’s defeat is attributed to overconfidence. No one said categorically that the BJP would return to power in Haryana. the atmosphere suggested that Congress would win decisively, but the art of turning victory into defeat can be learned from Congress.
Saamana said there was an anti-BJP atmosphere in Haryana. “The situation was such that BJP ministers and candidates were not allowed to enter the villages of Haryana, yet the results in Haryana went against the Congress. Despite the favorable situation in Haryana, the Congress could not take advantage of it. This happens every time with Congress,” the editorial continued.
The editorial also attributed the rift between Bhupinder Hooda and Kumari Shelja as a reason for the Congress’s dismal performance, saying, “Hooda and his people publicly humiliated Shelja and the Congress high command in Delhi could not stop it. BJP Haryana could win because Congress organization was weak”.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut also targeted the grand old party and said, “INDIA alliance could not win in Haryana because Congress thought they would win on their own and they did not need any other power partner. Hooda Ji thought we would win if they (Congress) had shared seats with the Samajwadi Party. MONKEYor other smaller parties, the results would have been different.”

“If Congress wants to go solo across the country, it should announce it so that everyone else is free to make their own decision in their respective states,” the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader added.
Raut also praised the BJP for its performance in Haryana. “I believe the elections conducted by the BJP are very good. The BJP has won a losing battle,” Raut said.
Meanwhile, other INDIA bloc partners, including AAP and CPI, also questioned the Congress Party’s approach in the parliamentary elections. Leaders of the AAP, who had hoped to form an alliance with the Congress in Haryana, said the key lesson of the recent elections was not to be ‘overconfident’.
“The biggest lesson from this is never to be overconfident in the elections,” said former Delhi commander Arvind Kejriwal.
“No election should be taken lightly. Every election and every seat is tough,” he further said while addressing a meeting of AAP councilors at an event on Tuesday.
The Communist Party of India (CPI) also expressed concern over the Congress party’s election strategy in Haryana and said the Congress’ decision not to go for seat-sharing was working against it.
D Raja, the general secretary of the CPI, said: “The Congress party will have to do some serious introspection. It has to make a self-critical assessment of its own strategy and tactics.”
“INDIA bloc parties should work with mutual trust in each other, and mutual accommodation in times of seat sharing. This did not happen in Haryana,” D Raja added.