Haryana’s Hodal conundrum: Will end of 28-year-old rivalry favour Congress or BJP?

“The leader who has been given the ticket is not a local. He has no political standing in Hodal,” says another BJP supporter, even as others nod.

Nayar has fought all the Assembly elections from this largely rural constituency since 1996 and registered victories thrice. In all six elections, his biggest rival was Haryana Congress president Udai Bhan.

Nayar’s first victory in this region came in 1996 as a Haryana Vikas Party candidate when this constituency was known as Hassanpur. In 2000 and 2005, Bhan defeated him, first as an Independent and then as a Congress candidate. The constituency was then renamed Hodal and its first election under a new name in 2009 saw Nayar defeating Bhan again as an INLD candidate. In the two polls that followed, Bhan and Nayar claimed a victory each, making their electoral showdown one of the most fascinating ones in Haryana.

“Ye election toh party ne Bhan aur Congress ko gift kar diya (The party has gifted this election to Bhan and Congress),” says a worker at Nayar’s office. Some panches and sarpanches sitting in the room also agreed that Ramrattan does not stand a chance against Bhan.

The Modi factor

However, on the ground, support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi remains intact.

“Hum to Modi ko denge vote, kamal ko jitayenge (We will give vote to Modi, make the lotus bloom),” says a woman who is busy sewing mats and rugs along with other women. Asked about the benefits of the BJP rule, she said the family has been getting free ration for five years.

Dev Dutt and Shiv Hari, two elderly men sitting on a charpaai (cot) and engaged in a discussion, say they are confident of the BJP’s chances. “Vikas hoye chahe na hoye par BJP achha sauda hai (Whether there is development or not, the BJP is a good deal),” says Dutt. “Hum toh BJP ko vote karenge jab tak Modi, Yogi aur Khattar hai. Khattar bhi imaandaar hai (We will vote for the BJP as long as (Narendra) Modi, Yogi (Adityanath) and (Manohar Lal) Khattar are there. Even Khattar is an honest leader),” he adds.

Hari agrees. “Even if the BJP gives a ticket to a donkey, we will still vote for it till Modi is there,” he says.

In Hodal’s Sevli village, where Bhan was set to address a public meeting, truck driver Devi Ram and his friend Parshuram, an auto driver, say that the mood favours the BJP, even though they admit that there is a tough fight between the Congress and the saffron party. “Aane ka pata nahi, par hum BJP ko vote denge. Takkar zabardast hai. Hum Modi dekhke vote de rahe hain (We do not know who will come to power but we will vote for the BJP. There is a tough competition. We are voting for Modi),” says Parshuram.

Aakash, 24, explains that Hodal, which is part of southern Haryana and closer to Delhi NCR, supports the BJP due to a heavy presence of middle-class voters. “Idhar ki side middle-class voters zyada hain. Jo yahan job mil rahi hai, wo BJP ki taraf se hi hai. Pehle jab Congress ka raaj tha tab paise se job lagte the (Middle-class voters are more here. Whatever jobs people have got are due to the BJP. When the Congress was in power, people paid money to get jobs),” says Aakash.

“10-15 saal main pehli baar humaare bacche logon ki naukri lagi…bina paise diye lagi hai (In the last 10-15 years, it is for the first time that our children have got jobs without paying a bribe),” says another local.

Some support for Congress too

Former sarpanch Virender, however, is hopeful of a Congress win. “Bas ek do gaanv main takkar samjho. Baaki 60 gaavon main bhaari bahumat se Congress jeetegi (There is a tough fight in a handful of villages. In 60 other villages, the Congress will secure victory with a big margin),” he says.

Raghuvir, who was earlier a BJP voter, is also placing his bets on the Congress. “Aap likh lena, BJP 40 per cent vote hi la payegi… Congress bohot aage hai. Hum pehle BJP ke voter the, jab BJP main kuch nahi dikhha to hum Congress aaye (Note it…the BJP will only be able to gather 40 per cent of the votes. The Congress is far ahead. We earlier voted for the BJP but when we saw no benefits, we started supporting the Congress),” says Raghuvir.