In Haryana’s Bhiwani-Mahendragarh, will Modi factor swing race towards BJP?

Tejpal, the farmer who belongs to the Jat community, says people want a change and claims the Congress’s Rao Dan Singh is likely to give sitting BJP MP Dharambir Singh Chaudhary a run for his money this time despite Tosham MLA Kiran Choudhry’s supporters not enthusiastically working over the denial of a ticket to her daughter and former MP Shruti. Taxi operator Pandit Budhram, whose vehicles have been hired by Dan Singh’s supporters, is confident about the Congressman’s victory and Sadiq Khan, the farmer, echoes his view.

Tosham is one of the nine Assembly segments that falls under the Bhiwani-Mahendragarh Lok Sabha seat. The BJP holds five (Loharu, Bhiwani, Ateli, Narnaul and Nangal Chaudhry) while two (Tosham and Mahendragarh) are held by the Congress. The Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) of Dushyant Chautala, which recently parted ways with the BJP and has extended support to the Congress, represents Badhra while Dadri is represented by Independent MLA Sombir Sangwan who is now backing the Congress.

On the other hand, ex-serviceman Dharambir, a Jat, is vocal in his support for the BJP and cites the “Modi factor” for his choice. “I have served in Siachen, Srinagar, Leh, Nagaland, Sikkim, Palampur and other places. Earlier, every bullet fired was accounted for but that is not the case now with Modi at the helm. Why should we not vote for such a man who has backed the Army and has wanted to give the enemy a befitting reply?” the former Army Naik asks. Several others are not in favour of the sitting MP but say they will vote for the BJP to ensure a third term for Modi.

Meanwhile, Khan disagrees and says the few Muslim families in the village of Beejna never felt uncomfortable earlier but over the years things have changed. “We feel we do not belong here, especially due to the speeches that BJP leaders make,” he says.

A few kilometres away in Buchowas village, Babloo Singh says unemployment is a major issue. “I have two sons who are educated but unemployed. National issues are important but we need to think about our families and children too. Unless we grow with the country and our children are not forced to run roadside tea stalls, we cannot determine the growth that the BJP leaders are trying to tell us,” he says.

A group of men, women and children queued up at a hand pump near Shaheed Rao Ranbir Singh Marg.

Local issues

Despite Chief Minister Nayab Saini’s claim that his government had ensured the availability of drinking water across the state, the issue continues to plague the Bhiwani-Mahendragarh constituency.

The Tosham by-pass road presents a familiar picture. A group of men, women and children have queued up at a hand pump near Shaheed Rao Ranbir Singh Marg. “There are taps in our homes but water supply is restricted to two to three days a week. We are forced to rely on hand pumps for our daily needs,” says Vinod Jangra, one of the men in the queue.

Duli Chand agrees. “Earlier, the problem was water in the fields. That has been partially solved but drinking water is still a major issue,” he says.

On the other hand, both the BJP and Congress are confident about winning the seat. While Dan Singh says the people will correct their “mistakes” of 2014 and 2019, Dharambir claims people are aware that their vote is for Modi.

“Sangwan is campaigning with me. This shows the wind is blowing in the Congress’s favour. The BJP government in Haryana is in crisis and has lost its majority,” Dan Singh says, referring to the recent switch of three Independent MLAs from the BJP to the Congress, which triggered a political crisis in the state. The Congress candidate also alleges that the BJP had failed to fulfil its promises and claims the people would not vote for them.

The sitting MP, who is banking on the Modi factor, claims the Opposition has no prime ministerial face. “People will not waste their vote and hand over the nation to a bunch of rejected candidates. We have to forget our internal differences and vote for our country’s prosperity,” Dharambir says.