BJP banks on Modi factor to bridge Haryana’s caste divide

CHANDIGARH: The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party is banking on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s personal appeal to overcome the challenge posed by the traditionally dominant caste factor in Haryana, where the party won seven out of the eight seats it had contested in the 2014 election.

Although the BJP has a seemingly effective talking point in the air strike conducted by India in Pakistan following the Pulwama terrorist attack, a repeat of the BJP’s performance in Haryana hinges on its ability to get the caste calculus right and its performance in the areas dominated by the Jat community, according to people aware of the matter That’s why, they said, the BJP has lined up rallies of Prime Minister Modi in constituencies where the Congress has fielded Jat candidates. Stakes are much higher for the BJP this time since it is contesting all the 10 parliamentary seats in Haryana on its own, unlike in the past when it forged alliances with regional parties.

“BJP doesn’t believe in divisive politics but caste factor is a harsh reality in the prevailing political scenario in the state,” chief minister Manohar Lal told ET. “The mindset is changing among voters from the younger generation who are breaking caste-based boundaries when they vote.” In the 2014 general election, the strong Modi wave had relegated the Congress to a single parliamentary seat of Rohtak. However, the Jat bastions of Hisar and Sirsa were conceded by the BJP’s alliance partners.


In Rohtak, a seat won seven times out of the last eight Lok Sabha polls by former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and his son Deepinder, the BJP has fielded a non-Jat candidate.