Twitter
Advertisement

Will Haryana too be Modi-fied?

Latest News
article-main
FacebookTwitterWhatsappLinkedin

A group of youngsters in Haryana shouted "hi-fi, wi-fi, Modi-fy". As campaigning came to an end, the BJP appeared sanguine counting on prime minister Narendra Modi's ten rallies in the state to overcome caste equations and local factors.

BJP leaders in the state have identified 20 seats where the fallout of caste affiliations and local dynamics in multi-cornered contests in which it is pitted against Congress, INLD, Haryana Janhit Congress, BSP and independents could pose a challenge. Sources said there was concern in the party that such electoral battles could tilt any way given the multiplicity of parties which have put up candidates belonging to various castes.

However, a party leader said though the BJP was anticipating to emerge as the single largest party, there has been a last minute change in its assessment and the party was now more confident of crossing the half-way mark of 45 from just four in the last assembly. In his last rally in Haryana before the October 15 election at Gurgaon on Saturday, Modi had asked voters to give BJP a clear verdict like in the Lok Sabha election.

With Modi focusing on governance and corruption, the BJP is hoping that its campaign will obscure the caste factor in a state where the Jats, accounting for around 25%, have been a politically influential segment. The Jats have been supporting the Chautalas' INLD. The BJP claims that the Jat vote was now getting divided with the youth showing a preference for Modi while the non-Jat vote of Brahmins, Punjabi, Rajput, Baniya and Dalits mainly comprising Jatavs was shifting allegiance from the Congress and consolidating in its favour.

"Our campaign is against caste politics and giving a new direction to Haryana. It is a successful and organised campaign on the need for change," said BJP leader Captain Abhimanyu.

The BJP does not have a formidable Jat face, nor has it projected a chief ministerial candidate, an issue which its political rivals — Congress and INLD — have been highlighting to counter Modi's campaign. But, a BJP analyst argues that this will go to the saffron party's advantage as it would avoid a jat and non-Jat polarisation. Among the BJP's Jat faces are Captain Abhimanyu and former Congress leader Chaudhury Birendra Singh. Besides them, the party has others like Gurgaon MP Rao Inderjit Singh in the chief ministerial race.

The BJP also has several first-time contenders but the party brought in experienced leaders from states like Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Delhi and UP to campaign for them.

Dissension has also come in the way of the BJP's campaign with sulking leaders refusing to campaign for some candidates, but party leaders dismiss this asking which party did not face such situations.

Find your daily dose of news & explainers in your WhatsApp. Stay updated, Stay informed-  Follow DNA on WhatsApp.
Advertisement

Live tv

Advertisement
Advertisement