In Gurgaon, BJP paints Inderjit and Raj Babbar's clash as local vs outsider

Gurgaon | Nuh: In a diverse constituency like Gurgaon which includes the high-tech millennium city and very backward districts like Nuh, the candidates vying to represent them are equally diverse. While the BJP has fielded Union minister and descendant of the local royal Ahir family, Rao Inderjit Singh, the Congress has fielded film star turned politician Raj Babbar.

Jannayak Janta Party has nominated singer-rapper Rahul Yadav, popularly known by his village name, Fazilpuria. To add more colour to the contest, there is a pav bhaji seller Kusheshwar Bhagat who is contesting for the seventh time.

The main contest appears to be between BJP's Rao Inderjit and Congress' Raj Babbar.

Inderjit Singh, a prominent Ahir leader, has been a dominant force in southern Haryana. Since the inception of the constituency in 2008, Singh has won the seat three times in a row. In 2009, he won on a Congress ticket, thereafter two times on a BJP ticket.

In the Ahir-dominated Gurgaon constituency, Singh is making the contest into a 'native vs outsider' fight while his main challenger Babbar is raising the issue of lack of civic amenities in the constituency. Babbar hails from Punjabi community which is in majority in Gurgaon and Rewari assembly segments.

The Lok Sabha election in Gurgaon is being held in the aftermath of the communal clashes which broke out in Nuh last year during a shobha yatra carried out by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad.

Inderjit Singh had openly questioned the handling of the VHP yatra and stated that it was the Yatra which changed the atmosphere of the traditionally peaceful region of Nuh and Mewat. Reaching out to voters in Nuh, Inderjit Singh said he would win by securing a good number of votes from Gurgaon and Rewari assembly constituencies, "but there is a longing in my heart to reach Lok Sabha by winning from Nuh-Mewat region."

BJP is comfortable in Gurgaon with the only major concerns being the apathy of the urban voters and consolidation of Muslims and Jats. There are three Meo Muslim dominated assembly segments -- Nuh, Ferozepur Jhirka and Punahana.

The issues being raised also vary from urban to rural areas.

Gauri Sarin, convener of Making Model Gurugram -- an Umbrella body of RWAs -- says apart from sanitation and waste management, the big issue here is related to builders not completing projects on time.

While one moves to rural areas, the issue of jobs becomes more prominent. In villages like Dhanvapur and Daultabad, farm laws and the Agniveer are the key issues. Rashid Hussain, a youngster in Nuh, says that jobs is the big issue here. "Most of the youngsters here are cab drivers and run Uber-Ola cabs in Gurgaon. But I need better job opportunities," said Hussain who described Inderjit as a good man but says his community is aversive to the idea of voting for the BJP.

Gurgaon has a mix of urban and rural voters. It has a significant number of Muslims and a sizable number of migrant workers. There are 20% Meo Muslims, 18% Ahirs, 15% SCs and 8% Jats.