Bhupendra Singh Hooda and Naib Singh Saini
Congress has prepared a new formula to counter BJP’s social engineering in Haryana’s political lab. The same political equation with which the Congress was able to defeat the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections has been set up to win the assembly election battle. This can be clearly understood from the announced list of candidates of Congress and BJP, as both the parties have fielded candidates keeping in mind the caste equation of the seats in the distribution of tickets. In such a situation, it has to be seen whose social engineering gets hit in the Haryana elections?
For the Haryana assembly elections, BJP has so far announced the names of candidates in 67 seats, Congress has announced the names of candidates in only 41 seats. The BJP had hoisted the flag of victory by appealing to the non-Jat castes in 2014 and 2019, but this time it is trying to win the Jat vote. So BJP has expressed confidence in candidates from OBC, Brahmin, Punjab, Dalit and Jat communities. To defeat this caste equation of BJP, Congress has focused exclusively on Jats, Dalits and OBCs. Most of the candidates have entered the fray from this community.
BJP’s social engineering
BJP has formed the government in Haryana twice in a row through its social engineering and now it is coming to power for the hat-trick. This time, BJP has undertaken an exercise to woo the Jat community as well. So BJP has given importance to Brahmin and Punjabi community along with Jat, OBC, Dalit in its list of 67 candidates. Out of 67 BJP candidates, 46 tickets have gone to OBCs, Jats, Dalits and Brahmins. The BJP has given 20 percent tickets to the OBC community, 19 percent to the Jat community, 12 percent to the Punjab, 13 percent to the Brahmin community, 19 percent to the Dalit community and seven percent to the Vaishya community.
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Bet on OBC
The BJP has given 16 tickets to OBC castes, including five to Gurjars and five to Yadavs. Apart from this, a big gamble has been played by giving tickets to Kumhar, Rajput, Kashyap and Saini. The BJP had already hinted at betting on OBCs by fielding CM Naib Singh Saini. The BJP won power in the last two elections with a Brahmin and Punjab alliance. For this reason, once again BJP has made a big move by fielding nine Brahmin and eight Punjabi candidates.
Simplify the race equation
In Haryana politics, the BJP has fielded candidates from the Jat community on 13 seats to lay a blueprint for strong social engineering, replacing Jat politicians who lost in the last elections to Om Prakash Dhankhar and Captain Abhimanyu from the Narnaund seat. This time the way BJP has made political efforts to woo the Jats, its political objective is known. The BJP has fielded Dalit candidates on 13 reserved seats and five seats to the Vaishya community. BJP has tried to solve the caste equation by including two Rajputs and one Sikh in its first list.
What is the Social Formula of Congress?
Ever since the political rise of the BJP in Haryana politics, the Congress has been constantly working on the Jat-Dalit equation. Congress has planned to contest elections on this formula to return to power in the state. The Congress has so far announced a list of 41 candidates, with 29 percent of the tickets given to the Jat community, followed by 22 percent to the Dalit community. The Congress has fielded 22 per cent OBC tickets and seven per cent Muslim, seven per cent Brahmin and nearly nine per cent Punjabi community candidates. Social engineering of Congress can be understood by Congress candidates.
Congress has made a big political move
Congress has so far fielded 12 Jats as candidates. So far 9 candidates from the OBC community have entered the fray. After this, Congress has given tickets to 9 Dalit communities. Three Muslims, four Punjabis, three Brahmins and one Sikh community have been given tickets. The Congress has given tickets keeping in view the caste equation of Haryana, giving tickets to as many people as the caste population. In this way, Congress has made a big political move by giving tickets to OBC community along with Jats and Dalits.
Congress focus is Jat-Dalit
To implement the Jat-Dalit formula, the Congress has handed over the reins of organization in the hands of the Dalit community in Haryana since 2014. First Ashok Tanwar, then Kumari Shailja and now Udayabhan are Congress state presidents, all three leaders hailing from the Dalit community. The Congress has fielded former chief minister Bhupendra Singh Hooda, who hails from the Jat community. Thus the entire focus of the Congress is on the votes of the Jat and Dalit communities, through this equation the Congress has managed to win five seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Congress is laying the political chessboard in the assembly elections through this equation.
Who will the Muslims go with?
No Muslim has been nominated in the first list of BJP. However, the BJP has not announced candidates for the Muslim-majority seats in Mewat. At the same time, the Congress has announced the list of candidates for all the seats in Mewat. The party has given another chance to incumbent Muslim candidates on all three seats. Haryana has about seven percent Muslims and the party has given tickets according to their population. In the 2019 elections, Congress fielded two Muslim candidates, but they could not win. This time also many Muslim leaders have claimed ticket from BJP.
Leaning of Muslims towards Congress
The Muslim community in Haryana is close to seven percent of the population and is in a critical position in six assembly seats. Even in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Muslims have been leaning towards the Congress in Mewat area seats. In 2023 there is communal polarization after the riots in the Nuh area. Muslims are leaning towards Congress, whereas earlier their votes were scattered. It has to be seen in the assembly elections that the Muslims are leaning towards?
Caste equation of Haryana
The Jat community plays the most important role in the politics of Haryana. The Jat community constitutes about 28 to 30 percent of the population. Congress has also fielded candidates in this regard. After this, about 20 percent belong to the Dalit community and the Congress has given more tickets than their population. Similarly, BJP has mostly given tickets to OBCs, followed by Jats and then Dalits. Apart from this, BJP has tried to create an equation by giving tickets to Brahmin and Punjabi communities. This time the BJP has tried to create an OBC-Jat-Dalit-Brahmin-Punjabi equation, while the Congress has devised a strategy of indulging Muslims and other castes along with the Jat-Dalit-OBC. Congress and BJP have fielded candidates keeping in mind their caste equation. In such a situation, it remains to be seen whose social engineering succeeds?
