The Hindu : National / Elections 2004 : The Jat vote will decide the outcome

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Friday, Apr 30, 2004

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National - Elections 2004

The Jat vote will decide the outcome

K.V. Prasad

ROHTAK

Located about 80 km to the northwest of Delhi, Rohtak attempts to carve a distinct identity for itself as the political capital of Haryana. In a State that has the distinction of adding the Aya Ram, Gaya Ram chapter to the political lexicon, a euphemism for defection, the fate of the leaders depends largely on the Jats.

For the community that comprises nearly 40 per cent of the 10.42 lakh-strong electorate, politicians are promising to bring the "Chaudhrahat" (political hegemony being the closest explanation) to Rohtak. Among them is the leader of the Congress Legislature Party, Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

Hailing from an influential family, Mr. Hooda, `Bhupi' to friends, shot to fame by defeating the legendary Jat leader, Devi Lal, three times between 1991 and 1998. Mr. Hooda was the State unit chief of the Congress that bailed out the then crumbling Haryana Vikas Party Government in 1999. Though the decision saved Bansi Lal's Government for a while, tottering as it was after the Bharatiya Janata Party pulled out, it proved disastrous for the Congress in the subsequent Assembly polls.

Later, Mr. Hooda had to step down as Congress chief and hand over the reins to his rival, Bhajan Lal. Now, contesting from the Rohtak Lok Sabha constituency, he senses an opportunity to reclaim his position. He also hopes to rekindle the contest among the Jats. The Jats of Rohtak, Jind and Sonepat consider themselves Deswalis as against the Bagris of Bhiwani and Hissar. It is another matter that Devi Lal and Bhajan Lal are from the Hissar region while Bansi Lal comes from Bhiwani and the power equation has remained largely concentrated in these parts. Mr. Hooda's family is from Rohtak and his 90-year-old father, Ranbir Hooda, is a respected member in the constituency, having been a freedom fighter and a member of the Constituent Assembly.

Four of those contesting from Rohtak, including Mr. Hooda, are Jats. The BJP, which snapped its ties with the ruling Indian National Lok Dal, has fielded Captain Abhimanyu Singh, a close relative of Union Ministers Sahib Singh Verma and Vikram Verma. Besides having business interests in Chhattisgarh, Mr. Singh's family runs a Hindi daily and a finance company. The INLD brought in Maj. Gen (Retd) Bhim Singh Suhag, who quit as the Vice-Chancellor of Rohtak's Maharishi Dayanand University to join the electoral fray while the HVP has fielded the chief of its women's wing, Usha Ahlawat, widow of a Colonel.

Besides the Jat factor, the constituency has nearly one lakh ex-servicemen votes. Three of the contestants are ex-servicemen. Capt. Inder Singh of the INLD represented the constituency in the dissolved Lok Sabha. The INLD had a pact with the BJP then.

If the INLD is banking on the image of its candidate and the work done by its State Government, the Congress has vowed to "liberate" the people from the Chautala Government's "misrule." Though Assembly elections are not due before February 2005, experts say a reversal for the INLD could pave the way for early polls.

There is some distress in the BJP camp too over the choice of party candidate. Though Capt. Abhimanyu Singh has been running a high-profile campaign it remains to be seen whether it would have the desired impact.

The HVP is counting on the ex-servicemen as also on the farmers. The party workers proudly proclaim that Ms. Ahlawat not only stays in Dulena village but is also an agriculturist in her own right. While the focus is really in neighbouring Bhiwani constituency, the Jats of this region battle it out for a place under the sun.

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