2024 LS polls: Multiple factors led to Balyan’s defeat in Muzaffarnagar
Local issues like anger of party’s traditional Rajput voters and open revolt of BJP’s Sardhana MLA Sangeet Som against Balyan gave a jolt to the party’s poll prospects in the entire region
Political experts and Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leaders cited many factors that led to the defeat of two-time BJP MP Sanjeev Balyan to the Samajwadi Party leader Harendra Malik from Muzaffarnagar seat of Uttar Pradesh in the recently concluded 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Both Balyan and Malik belong to the influential Jat community in western Uttar Pradesh. Balyan, who won the Muzaffarnagar seat in 2014 and 2019, has served as a Union minister of state in the Modi government.
As per Dharmendra Malik, leader of BKU (apolitical), major agrarian communities (Jat, Gujar, Tyagi and others) rejected the BJP because the Centre’s Agniveer scheme came as a shock for the younger generation of these communities.
Local issues like anger of party’s traditional Rajput voters and open revolt of BJP’s Sardhana MLA Sangeet Som against Balyan also gave a jolt to the party’s poll prospects in the entire region. As per political experts, the presence of BSP candidate Dara Singh Prajapat also paved way for Balyan’s defeat as he succeeded in splitting party’s core OBC voters and secured 1,43,707 votes.
BKU leader Rakesh Tikait claimed that it was the victory of the people who voted against “exploitation and capitalism”. “Governments can’t be run for long if they ignore farmers”, he further claimed. Samajwadi Party’s Harendra Malik defeated Sanjeev Balyan by a margin of 24,672 votes. Malik polled 4,70,721 votes as against 4,46,049 votes of Balyan. The election in Muzaffarnagar was held in the first phase on April 19.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and two-time Muzaffarnagar MP Sanjeev Balyan said he carried out many development work in his constituency during his two terms. “I was confident that people would vote for me on the basis of my work. I think my anticipation was wrong,” he said.
Balyan further said he was always available for people and worked for their welfare. He also thanked RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary for extending his full support to him. He claimed that he also received the support of farmers and other communities. Balyan, however, refused to comment on the possible issues that led to his defeat.
