Having done exceptionally well in the just-concluded Lok Sabha elections in the state in which its vote share almost trebled from that in the Parliamentary polls in 2004, the BSP is now eying the Vidhan Sabha polls in Haryana.

Sources in the BSP say some top “disgruntled” leaders from other parties in the state have already started approaching the party for Vidhan Sabha tickets.

Talking to The Indian Express, Mann Singh Manhera, national general secretary of the BSP, said the BSP has emerged as the real challenge to the ruling Congress now. Manhera said the BSP may not have won any seat in Haryana, but the party made a huge impact among voters by garnering 15.73 per cent of the total votes polled. In the previous Lok Sabha elections in 2004, the BSP could not even manage five per cent of the total votes. Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC) polled 9.87 per cent of the total votes.

The BSP managed to beat the main opposition parties in the state, the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and the BJP individually in the vote percentage, although they contested only five seats each compared to all ten by the BSP. In vote percentage, it also left behind the HJC. INLD polled 15.67 votes, followed by BJP at 12 per cent.

“Both the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and the BJP failed to win the people’s confidence, while the HJC could not leave any impact either. On the other hand, the BSP proved its credibility,” said Manhera.

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