Haryana Elections 2024: Jats to decide candidates' fate in 37 seats, cause for concern for BJP?

 

Haryana is bracing for a tight electoral contest between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress, with smaller players like the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) clinching at every opportunity to increase its share in the pie. The ruling BJP is not only in an uphill battle where the Congress is considered a favourite but is also facing the pent-up anger of the Jat community in the state.

Why are Jats so angry with the BJP?

The Jat community is upset with the BJP over a series of reasons -- the Agnipath scheme of recruitment for the Indian Army, farmers protest and its 'shoddy handling' of the wrestlers' protest against former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. The Jats are also angry with the BJP as the saffron party did not replace Manohar Lal Khattar with a Jat Chief Minister.

The number game or... number crunch

In Haryana, Jats account for around 22-27 per cent of the state's population. Haryana has 37 assembly seats, wherein the Jat community decides the fate of the candidates. Of these, 22 seats are in Jatland, 8 in Bagri, 4 in GT Road Belt and 3 in Braj.

A total of 30 out of 37 seats with Jat dominance are situated in the Rohtak and Hisar administrative divisions. These seats account for 40 per cent of the Haryana Assembly's strength, thus making the Jat community extremely influential in the Haryana elections.

BJP attempts to woo non-Jat voters

Due to the anger of Jats against it, the BJP has fielded more non-Jat candidates this year. In 2024, the overall number of Jat candidates fielded by the BJP are 16, lesser than 2019 (19 candidates) and 2014 (24 candidates).

The BJP has focussed its Haryana strategy on winning over the OBC voters, who make up around 30 per cent of the state's voting population as compared to 22-27 per cent for Jats and around 20 per cent Scheduled Castes (SCs).

In a bid to woo the OBC voters, the Nayab Singh Saini government raised the income cap for the OBC creamy layer and increased reservation for backward classes in local bodies.

Anger over non-Jat CM

The BJP replaced former Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar just 6 months before the elections in Haryana, which the saffron party practiced in Maharashtra and Jharkhand. He was the face of the saffron party's anti-dominant caste politics. The party nominated Nayab Singh Saini, an influential OBC leader in the state, as the Chief Minister, failing to accommodate the Jat community.

What's working for the Congress?

Veteran Congress leader Chaudhary Birender Singh said that Jats in Haryana support the Congress in large numbers while adding Muslim voters in the state will also vote for the grand old party.

"Voters in Haryana are hurt by the policies of the BJP, they are standing in favour of Congress. A large number of Jats indeed support Congress but there are Jats in other parties too. Muslim voters are 5 per cent in Haryana who will vote for Congress because BJP forces them. It is not right to say that there is a fight between Jats and non-Jats," senior Congress leader Chaudhary Birender Singh said.