The farmers’ protests in 2021 and earlier this year dominate the Lok Sabha election battle in the Jat heartland. And it will have a bearing on the ten constituencies in Haryana that go to the polls on May 25. While the Congress is trying to make a comeback by consolidating the Jat votes, the BJP’s effort is to turn the contest into a Jat vs non-Jat fight by making sure that its primary vote banks of upper castes, dalits and OBCs stay intact.
The polls became wide open after three independent legislators withdrew their support to the Nayab Singh Saini-led NDA government on May 7. Although the political uncertainty caused by this is unlikely to have much impact on the Lok Sabha polls, it has further localised the general elections. “The developments in the state assembly have, in a way, gotten Haryana rolling for the state elections scheduled in October,” said Professor Rajendra Sharma, head of department of political science, Maharishi Dayanand University, Rohtak. “Unusually for the state, there is intermingling of general and state elections with local and national issues with a lot of overlaps reflecting in the political calculations being done by the parties.”
At the heart of these strategic adjustments is one resounding question: who will the Jats vote for? They are a fourth of the state’s population and one of the most influential electoral groups. The community has a strong presence in about 36 assembly seats and at least four Lok Sabha constituencies.
Denne historien er fra May 26, 2024-utgaven av THE WEEK India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra May 26, 2024-utgaven av THE WEEK India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
What Will It Take To Clean Up Delhi Air?
IT IS ASKED, year after year, why Delhi’s air remains unbreathable despite several interventions to reduce pollution.
Trump and the crisis of liberalism
Although Donald Trump's election to a non-consecutive second term to the US presidency is not unprecedented—Grover Cleveland had done it in 1893—it is nevertheless a watershed moment.
Men eye the woman's purse
A couple of months ago, I chanced upon a young 20-something man at my gym walking out with a women’s sling bag.
When trees hold hands
A filmmaker explores the human-nature connect through the living root bridges
Ms Gee & Gen Z
The vibrant Anuja Chauhan and her daughter Nayantara on the generational gap in romance writing
Vikram Seth-a suitable man
Our golden boy of literature was the star attraction at the recent Shillong Literary Festival in mysterious Meghalaya.
Superman bites the dust
When my granddaughter Kim was about three, I often took her to play in a nearby park.
OLD MAN AND THE SEA
Meet G. Govinda Menon, the 102-year-old engineer who had a key role in surveying the Vizhinjam coast in the 1940s, assessing its potential for an international port
Managing volatility: smarter equity choices in uncertain markets
THE INDIAN STOCK MARKET has delivered a strong 11 per cent CAGR over the past decade, with positive returns for eight straight years.
Investing in actively managed low-volatility portfolios keeps risks at bay
AFTER A ROARING bull market over the past year, equity markets in the recent months have gone into a correction mode as FIIs go on a selling spree. Volatility has risen and investment returns are hurt.
