Jind is a high-stakes poll battle being dubbed as a semifinal in Haryana, in which Congress’ Surjewala, newly formed JJP, apart from BJP and INLD are in the fray.
Chandigarh: Voting for the Jind bypoll, necessitated by the death of the sitting Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) MLA Hari Chand Midha, is underway, barely two months before the Lok Sabha polls.
The high stakes electoral battle in Haryana is being dubbed as a “semifinal” to the Parliamentary and state assembly elections later this year.
The bypoll is expected to be a tight contest as four parties are in the fray — the ruling BJP, the Congress, the INLD and the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), a breakaway faction of the INLD. The result will be declared on 31 January.
In the absence of an overwhelming issue that could have dominated the bypoll and an unprecedented intense election campaign by all four prominent parties, there are no clear favourites this time around.
Caste equations in the constituency also give little away.
Jind has almost 1.72 lakh voters, with Jats constituting the single largest chunk of over 45,000 voters. Brahmins, the trader community and Punjabis are between 10,000 to 15,000 while the rest are of the backward classes and scheduled castes. Since 1972, Jind has always had a non-Jat as its MLA.
This time around, however, other than the BJP, the three prominent parties in the fray have fielded Jat candidates.
Also read: Jind bypoll is a matter of prestige for Surjewala, Khattar and Chautala brothers
BJP fields ex-MLA’s son
The BJP has fielded Krishna Midha, son of the former MLA Hari Chand Midha. A non-Jat candidate, Krishna Midha is eyeing the sympathy vote following his father’s death.
The bypoll is also being viewed as a referendum on the Manohar Lal Khattar-led BJP government in the state, particularly because of its proximity to the ensuing elections.
Unsurprisingly, the entire state BJP leadership led by the chief minister himself and including various MLA, cabinet ministers and MPs have campaigned intensively in Jind.
The focus of the BJP’s campaign has been to bring together the entire non-Jat vote in Midha’s favour. The opposition has targeted Midha over his shift from the INLD to the BJP barely a few months before the elections were announced, terming him a turncoat.
High stakes for Congress
A lot is at stake for the Congress, which has fielded one of its most prominent leaders, Randeep Surjewala, considered to be the right-hand man of Rahul Gandhi.
A victory or loss for Surjewala will have a direct impact on the voters’ mind about Rahul Gandhi’s own popularity. For Surjewala, a victory could mean a direct entry into the zone of consideration for the CM seat in the assembly polls later this year.
A Jat, Surjewala has during his campaign made a very serious effort to take along non-Jat voters too. And for a change, the entire Congress leadership in Haryana has set aside its differences and campaigned for Surjewala.
Former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda who has the ability to consolidate the Jat vote has rallied in Surjewala’s favour and so has state Congress president Ashok Tanwar and other leaders.
The opposition has focused on Surjewala already being an MLA from Kaithal and abandoning his own seat and voters for a new opportunity.
Also read: Haryana has a flashback as OP Chautala’s sons fight it out over father’s legacy
INLD up against its rebel faction
For the INLD, which has also fielded a Jat candidate in Umed Singh Redhu, the fight will be to assert itself over its breakaway faction, the JJP.
Apart from the fact that the INLD commands the Jat vote bank, Redhu himself belongs to the Kandela Khap, which has considerable influence in the region’s rural areas.
His main opposition during the campaigning has come from the JJP, which is expected to take away a substantial chunk of the Jat voters who traditionally support the INLD.
The JJP — the newly formed outfit of Dushyant Chautala following a division in the Chautala family last year — has fielded Dushyant’s younger brother Digvijay. It has the support of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for these elections. In case the alliance wins, it would spell the decimation of the INLD besides giving a boost to AAP in the forthcoming parliamentary and assembly polls.
What goes against the JJP is that the INLD campaign has the support of the party supremo Om Prakash Chautala, who has termed Digvijay and Dushyant as traitors of the party.