Haryana voters rose above religion, caste in polling, say experts

Sunit Dhawan

Rohtak, June 5

The state’s electorate showed a fine sense of judgment in the Lok Sabha elections by electing candidates on the base of their track record and performance rather than voting on the basis of their caste, community or religion.

A sharp division took place amongst the electors of Haryana after the Jat agitation for grant of reservation in 2016, with the voters getting divided into Jat and non-Jat categories.

Haryana, known for its communal harmony and brotherhood amongst the members of 36 communities, witnessed an unprecedented ‘35 versus one’ tussle emerging in the aftermath of the Jat quota stir.

The rift between the Jat and non-Jat communities also cast its shadow on the Lok Sabha as well as Assembly elections in 2019.

Nonetheless, the politically aware residents of Haryana saw through the divisive tactics and realised their folly.

“The political move of dividing the voters on the basis of their caste did not work and people’s issues took the centre-stage in these elections,” said Dr Rajendra Sharma, a professor of political science at Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU) in Rohtak.

He maintains that the divisiveness that emerged after the Jat quota stir is waning away, which is a positive sign for the state and society.

Political observer Dr Ranbir Kadiyan points out that the people of Haryana have rejected the Hindu-Muslim and Jat-Non-Jat narratives with which they were fed up.

“The people wanted the leaders to address the issues which affect them directly, like rising prices, unemployment, farmers’ condition and Agniveer scheme instead of harping about the construction of Ram Temple and abolition of Article 370,” he asserts.

Two-time Haryana Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda observes that the people of the state have refused to get misled by the divisive tactics based on caste and religion.

“I thank and congratulate the residents of Haryana for not falling into the trap laid by the BJP,” Hooda said, while addressing a news conference in Rohtak today.

Ahirwal belt gives edge to BJP

The results of the Lok Sabha elections indicate that the Ahirwal bastion in the Gurugram-Rewari-Mahendragarh belt of Haryana has retained its faith in the BJP. BJP candidates have won from Gurugram as well as Bhiwani-Mahendragarh constituencies, though the margins of their victories have come down drastically this time. As per political analysts, the Ahirwal belt is among those regions in which ‘Modi factor’ still holds ground, though the sharp decline in the votes polled by the BJP candidates has rung alarm bells for the saffron party.