The BJP, which pulled off a hat-trick of wins in Haryana by bucking anti-incumbency, managed to make significant inroads into the Dalit seats and Jat strongholds.
The Congress was heavily banking on the Dalit and Jat votes to make a comeback after a decade of being out of power. Not only this, the BJP also managed to retain seats in the Ahirwal region and the GT Road belt to shatter the Congress' comeback plans in Haryana, which went to polls on Saturday and results for which were declared on Tuesday.
While the BJP ended up with its best-ever haul of 48 seats, 11 more than those won by Congress in the present elections, parties like the JJP and AAP were decimated and the INLD managed to win just two seats. Proving wrong exit polls which predicted a comfortable Congress win, the BJP will be forming government in Haryana for the third consecutive term.
Out of 17 Scheduled Caste (SC) seats in Haryana, the BJP won eight assembly constituencies -- Nilokheri, Pataudi, Kharkhauda, Hodal, Bawal, Narwana, Israna and Bawani Khera. From Hodal, Haryana Congress chief Udai Bhan lost to BJP's Harinder Singh.
The Congress could secure victory in the remaining nine SC seats -- Sadhaura, Shahbad, Ratia, Uklana, Kalanaur, Kalanwali, Jhajjar, Guhla and Mulana -- according to the Election Commission data. In the 2019 assembly polls, the BJP won five SC assembly constituencies, thus improving its performance in the 2024 assembly elections.