No clear wave keeps aspiring MPs on toes

Sunit Dhawan
Tribune News Service
Rohtak, April 26

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Silence of the electors, coupled with the absence of a clear sweeping wave in favour of or against any political party in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections in the state, is giving sleepless nights to the aspiring MPs whose prestige is at stake.

Hence, nominees of different political outfits and alliances are slogging it out, touring their respective constituencies and holding public meetings despite the scorching heat in a bid to reach out to the maximum voters and convince them to vote in their favour.

“While the staunch supporters of certain parties and candidates are pro-actively participating in their rallies, public meetings and roadshows, etc, a major chunk of electors prefers to keep their cards close to their chest. These silent voters will play a key role in the poll results,” observes Prof Rajender Sharma, head of the department of political science at Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU), Rohtak.

Political analysts maintain that especially the non-Jat voters, who seldom come out openly in support of any political party or group, may tilt the poll balance towards a candidate or an outfit of their choice, provided they come out and cast their vote.

“Voters belonging to different castes and sub-castes have their own viewpoint and way of looking at things. They take their political decisions on the basis of considerations like ‘weightage’ given to their communities by the regime in power and other such things,” notes Professor Sharma.

He states that if the members of the downtrodden communities, especially those residing in the rural areas, are pressurized by the dominant community to vote for a particular party or candidate, they may register their protest silently by voting against that party.

RTI activist and Haryana Soochna Adhikar Manch state coordinator Subhash, who is also a keen political observer, points out that the poll campaign is in the initial stage and many voters are yet to make up their mind. “The scenario will become clearer in about a week or so,” he says.

Non-Jat voters may sway results 

Political analysts maintain that non-Jat voters, who seldom come out openly in support of any political party or group, may tilt the poll balance towards a candidate or an outfit of their choice, provided they come out and cast their vote.