Jat belt’s call remains a key factor in Haryana election

Sirsa| Hisar| Rohtak |Jhajjar: The key Jat belt –– comprising 36 assembly seats extending across four parliamentary constituencies –– holds the key to Haryana elections. But which way will Jats vote? Will they remain loyal to the Congress, OP Chautala’s INLD and the newly-formed Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) or switch sides to the BJP, which rode to power in 2014 by tapping into the non-Jat support base? ET travelled through this belt to assess the ground reality.

WINDS OF CHANGE?
Haryana’s political families of Devi Lal, Bansi Lal, Bhajan Lal and Hoodas have ruled the Jat belt from Rohtak through Hisar to Sirsa. Even as Devi Lal’s INLD has split, the core Jat votebase has stayed with INLD or JJP. The shift to BJP has not happened in the political families’ strongholds. In Barapurra of Sirsa district, the support for INLD is evident.

Surender Singh of Barapurra says, “It has always been INLD for our village. If we got jobs, it was during the time of Om Prakash Chautalaji. BJP has done nothing for us.”

In Chhattariyan, women swear by the Chautalas. “We are a Jat-dominated village. We have always voted for Chautala ji. Even if there is JJP, our vote will go to him,” says a villager Promilla.

Voters in Adampur remain loyal to Congress’ Kuldeep Bishnoi. Roop Chand of Bagla village says, “We don’t care which party he (Bishnoi) is in. He has worked for our constituency. Nobody can take his place.”

Pitted against TikTok star Sonali Phogat, Bishnoi is going strong. Villagers are unfazed by corruption charges and raids on their MLA. Rishan, a tea shop owner, says, “Corruption is found in any business. Will Sonali Phogat have the time to spend in Adampur?” Prahlad Singh of Ghudsal of Adampur counts the works. “They weren’t in power, but see how Bishnoi worked for roads, water, irrigation and jobs in Adampur,” he says.

What seems to have cemented this mistrust for BJP is the February 2016 Jat reservation agitation. In Narnaund, home constituency of BJP Jat leader and Haryana’s finance minister Captain Abhimanyu, the angst is evident. “He has done nothing,” says villager Satender Singh adding, “Let him come to our village Petwad. He will know. The real fight is between INLD and JJP.” In Narnaund, people count lack of jobs as the biggest reason for anti-incumbency.




LOCAL ELECTION
BJP is banking on its governance track record under chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar and the popularity of PM Narendra Modi. Though party seniors are playing the nationalism card, and even counting Article 370 as its achievement, there is no reverberation of the issue here.

Karamvir Singh of Narnaund says, “I am sitting idle at home. I have no job. Do you think I even care about Article 370? We can buy land there (J&K) –– what does that mean? I can’t buy land in Rajasthan when it is so cheap. It seems like a joke.”

TACTICAL APPROACH
BJP had been a non-entity in Haryana till the 2014 assembly elections. Actively wooing the Punjabi votebank, BJP came to power on its own. This time, it has given a call of “Ab ki baar pichhattar paar”.

Delivering on this call means it would need to win a considerable number of 36 seats, which have remained elusive so far. BJP’s strategy is to wean strong Jat leaders from other parties and give them tickets in seats it hasn’t won in three elections.

What could work for the BJP is the split between JJP and INLD. If Jat votes split between the two parties the result would be obvious – Advantage BJP. BJP has wooed leaders in Sirsa, Hisar, Rohtak and Bhiwani-Mahendragarh districts. How much would be the turn depends on factors like triangular fights and effectively managing rebels.