Lok Sabha election: Caste equations, angry farmers and Agniveer scheme pose challenges for BJP in Haryana

Haryana will vote for its 10 Lok Sabha seats on May 25 amid uncertainty over the state’s BJP government. In the last few months, the state witnessed two major changes—Kurukshetra MP and state BJP chief Nayab Saini replaced Manohar Lal Khattar as chief minister and the BJP-JJP alliance came to an end.

BJP had won all the Lok Sabha seats in Haryana in 2019 on the back of a nationalist sentiment following the terrorist attack in Pulwama and the subsequent air strikes on terror camps in Balakot in Pakistan. The Modi factor too played a part in its triumph.

The scale of victory was such that the average winning margin was more than 350,000 votes. But this time, caste equations, especially mobilisation among Jats, farmers’ protest over farm laws and the Agniveer scheme of recruitment in armed forces are posing a serious challenge to the BJP.


CHURN IN STATE POLITICS
The BJP formed an alliance with the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) after the October 2019 assembly polls but the parties parted ways ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. Saini, an OBC, replaced Khattar, a Punjabi, as chief minister of the state. The BJP, which was relying on the support of Independent MLAs to stay in power, suffered a setback after three independent MLAs withdrew support to the government. But soon after, the BJP secured the support of three JJP MLAs. At present, barring Congress leader Bhupender Hooda, a Jat, no other leader in Haryana has a pan-state support base, especially among caste segments other than Jats.

CASTE FACTOR — JAT or NON-JAT
Jats, an agrarian caste segment with armed forces as their preferred profession, constitute around 24% of the electorate in the state. Many of the state’s Olympians and other international as well as national sporting event medal winners are Jats. In the aftermath of protests by farmers and women wrestlers and the discontent over the Agniveer scheme, the community (Jats) that supported the BJP in large numbers in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls has moved away from the party and see Hooda as their leader now. But political experts feel consolidation among Jats could lead to a counter consolidation among other castes in the state. The BJP though is confident of support from non-Jat communities such as Brahmins, Yadavs, Baniyas and Punjabis. It is also trying to make inroads into other backward classes in Haryana by appointing an OBC as the chief minister.

CANDIDATES, CASTE AND CONTEST
Both the BJP and the Congress, the two main players in Haryana this time, have replaced more than half of their MPs with other candidates. The BJP has benched six of its MPs and like last time, has fielded two candidates each from Jat, Brahmin and SC communities. Yadav, Gurjar, Punjabi and Baniya candidates have been nominated from one seat each. Congress is contesting on nine seats this time, leaving one for its INDIA bloc partner AAP. It has changed candidates for eight seats. Unlike last time when the party fielded three Jats, the Congress has fielded two Jats this time. It has nominated two candidates each from the SC and Punjabi communities and one each from Yadav, Gurjar and Brahmin.

KEY CONTESTS
ROHTAK: Rajya Sabha MP Deepender Hooda, who lost narrowly last time, is contesting again from this seat. He is pitted against current MP Arvind Sharma. It is a battle of prestige for Hooda as well as his father and former Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda. The election will also decide how much sway the father and the son will hold over the Congress unit in Haryana.
HISAR: Three family members of the Chautala clan—BJP’s Ranjit Chautala, INLD’s Sunaina Chautala and JJP’s Naina Chautala—are contesting from this seat while Congress has fielded Jai Prakash.
SIRSA: Former Congress state chief Ashok Tanwar is now the BJP candidate from this seat against former Union minister and Congress leader Kumari Selja. The contest is seen as a fight to prove who among the two is a bigger leader of SCs in the state