Haryana Assembly Elections 2024 Result: AAP failed to open its account in the state

As the BJP galloped towards a big victory in Haryana and pulled off an unexpected turnaround, Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said the “biggest lesson” from the results was that one should never be overconfident.

Mr Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which was alone in 89 seats, failed to open its account in the state.

The BJP will contest a record third straight term in Haryana, contrary to poll predictions. It is in the lead with 50 of the 90 seats.

“Let us see what the results are in Haryana. The biggest lesson from this is that one should never be overconfident during elections,” Mr Kejriwal said at a meeting of AAP councillors.

Many also saw his words as a dig at the Congress, which called off its early victory celebrations in Haryana as soon as the situation changed.

The Congress, AAP’s INDIA alliance partner at the national level, slipped to second place after racing to the top in the first hour. Proving the polls wrong, the BJP maintained its lead, widened the gap and remained on course for a hat-trick despite its opposition.

AAP candidates trailed their BJP and Congress opponents in almost all seats.

“No election should be taken lightly. Every election and every seat is tough,” Mr. Kejriwal advised.

The former Delhi chief minister had earlier claimed during his election campaign in Haryana that no government could be formed in the state without the support of the AAP.

However, AAP managed a surprise victory in Jammu and Kashmir, where elections were held after a decade. Party leader Mehraj Malik, who gave his party its first win in the 2020 municipal elections, won the Doda seat today, wresting it from the BJP.

The BJP’s Shakti Raj won Doda in the 2014 elections, but since the first election in 1962 the seat has traditionally alternated between the National Conference and the Congress.