Khatauli bypoll: Grappling with RLD, BJP faces heat from Muzaffarnagar victim’s kin

The 56-year-old housewife, Sureshwati has hit the campaign trail along with her husband and other relatives, seeking justice for her family.

“We will get justice when our village will be developed with infrastructure and the government will fulfil the promises that BJP had made to us after my son was killed,” Ravindra Singh said while speaking to The Indian Express. “We want that BJP candidate Rajkumari Saini (the sitting MLA Vikram Saini’s wife) loses the election. That will open the eyes of BJP leaders who betrayed us. BJP leaders and candidates cashed in on the riots and my son’s sacrifice in several elections but did nothing for my family and our village.”

Singh said that following the killing of his son and the riots, the BJP had promised his family their “full support”. “BJP leaders had come to meet us and they had assured to provide us financial support in the legal battle. They had also promised development of a road in the village and arms licences for my family members. They took me for campaign in various areas in Muzaffarnagar, Moradabad, Bijnor (in UP) and Dehradun and Haridwar in Uttarakhand and also in parts of Haryana in 2014 Lok Sabha elections.”

Singh, a farmer, claimed that he campaigned for the BJP candidates in the 2017 UP Assembly polls and the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, although he did not campaign in the 2022 UP Assembly polls. “Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath campaigned in five Assembly segments in Muzaffarnagar district in the 2022 polls and sought votes in the name of my family but nobody inquired about my family’s plight. I have no grudges against the CM and the government but I have complaints against local BJP leaders who had responsibility to meet the party’s promises and develop the area,” he said.

“We waited for eight years. But BJP leaders did not help us after coming to power. I also demanded ticket in the bypoll but our request was not accepted. So we decided to contest as an Independent. As there is a case pending against me, I decided not to contest and fielded my wife. We are hopeful of a win. Public has sympathy with us,” he said.

The Singh family are residents of Malikpura Kawal village in Meerapur adjoining Khatauli. In their campaign, eyeing “sympathy votes”, they are introducing Sureshwati as mother of “shaheed (martyr) Gaurav of Kawal kaand (incident)”. They are also promising development in the area if she wins the bypoll.

The Khatauli seat fell vacant in the wake of the disqualification of the sitting BJP MLA Vikram Singh Saini following his conviction in a case related to the Muzaffarnagar riots. Last month, a local court sentenced Saini and 10 others to two years imprisonment in the case under various charges including rioting, rioting armed with deadly weapons and act endangering life or personal safety of others.

For the bypoll from the constituency, the saffron party fielded Saini’s wife Rajkumari, a former village pradhan.

The RLD has fielded a Gujjar strongman and former MLA, Madan Bhaiyya, who also has the support of the Samajwadi Party (SP), the RLD’s senior ally.

Khatauli has over 1.5 lakh OBC voters who are under different sub-castes like Prajapati, Jat, Saini, Kashyap, Gujjar, Pal and others. Muslims make up the single largest chunk of voters numbering around 80,000, with Dalits coming next with 45,000 voters.  Among OBCs, Sainis account for about 35,000 votes.

The UP BJP’s spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi said, “BJP was the only political party that stood with the victims of Muzaffarnagar riots and fought against criminals. After coming to power, BJP improved the law and order and ensured that there was no repetition of any incident like the killing of Sachin and Gaurav. BJP always helped the victims of riots. In democracy, everyone has the right to contest elections. But if Gaurav’s family has any grievance with local party unit, that will be addressed after the election.”