UP Assembly Election 2012: RLD is a jat party only for some in community

MAHUAR (Fatehpur Sikri): “Every jat is a chaudhury these days but we don’t have “a Chaudury’ among jats anymore,” rues Ravinder Kumar, a jat and erstwhile gram pradhan of Mahuar village. Others nod in agreement. Fatehpur Sikri is the acid test for Ajit Singh and his RLD to prove his grip over a community that still swears by his father Chaudhary Charan Singh’s legacy. But the RLD is failing the test. It’s evident in the constituency more famous for the 16th century capital city complex Akbar built than jat dominance of the region.

The constituency has about 1,10,000 jat votes, 40,000 SC jatavs, 45,000 brahmin votes and 25,000 thakurs with other groups. With jats by far the largest chunk, Fatehpur Sikri should have been easy picking for the RLD-Congress combine.

But, a day before voting, bookies are offering 1:5 odds on the combine’s candidate Chaudhury Baboo Lal. The reason: Another jat leader Rajkumar Chahar, till recently a Congress-ticket hopeful and Raj Babbar’s right hand, has jumped into the fray as an independent. He threatens to attract enough votes from the community to make it possible for the BSP’s Thakur candidate – Surajpal Singh – to romp home a winner second time in a row.

What Chaudhury Charan Singh could perhaps have done in his time – pile votes from other communities over his heap of jat votes– only Mayawati is capable of ensuring in UP today, with her mound of jatav votes intact.

“A large number of jatavs will vote for BSP. Muslims are not as much with Mayawati this time around but Surajpal shall get Muslims from at least his area and surrounding panchayats. Plus, he shall get the thakur votes. There are other groups also in his favour even as Chahar runs Baboo Lal to ground,” sums up Moin the tourist complex.

Chahar jats dominate the belt and Rajkumar is set to wean them away from RLD’s hold. The BJP has another jat candidate – Jitendra Faujdar. He too is sure to get a slice from the biggest chunk in the voter pie.

Thirty six hours before voting day, news floats in the region (some say rumours) that Chahar was attacked and shot at in the night by opposition hoodlums. He is convalescing in an Agra hospital. Alongside, he seems to be gaining momentum built on sympathy as the hours pass and word spreads. By evening the day before polling, bookies are offering only 30 paisa against a rupee for betting on BSP’s win. Chahar attracts Rs 3 for every Rs 1 bet on his victory. The RLD is a poor third.

“Jayant could become a leader in due time if he is not as flippant as his father has been with choice of parties and not as greedy as his father has been for power.

Till then, the RLD shall remain a jat party only for some jats. But I think the era where one would see another Haldhar (the original Lok Dal’s symbol)-wielding Chaudhary Charan Singh is over,” says Ravinder Kumar before he decides to have some fun and dials the BSP candidate’s organizers to check if they will deliver some alcohol even if he won’t vote for them.