Urban-rural divide, caste math worked in BJP’s favour in Jind bypoll
BJP’s Jind candidate Krishan Middha, the son of late INLD MLA Dr Hari Chand Middha, was considered a lightweight in comparison to Congress’ Randeep Singh Surjewala and JJP’s Digvijay Chautala. But his resounding victory by over 12,000 votes suggests polarisation of electorate in terms of Jats and non-Jats, and urban and rural voters.
The emphatic win registered by the BJP in the Jind assembly bypoll has come as a big morale booster for the saffron party ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
The victory, coming a month after the party swept the mayoral polls for civic bodies in the state, will firmly position the BJP, led by chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, as a strong contender for the parliamentary and assembly polls in the state.
Though the BJP had the advantage of being the party in power, the Jind by-election had turned into a complex highstakes contest with the entry of Congress heavyweight Randeep Surjewala and Jannayak Janta Party’s (JJP) Digvijay Chautala in the electoral arena, both Jat candidates.
INLD’s Umed Singh Redhu and Loktantra Suraksha Party’s Vinod Ashri though were not expected to win yet their presence had the potential to disturb the caste arithmetic.
BJP candidate Krishan Middha, who is the son of late INLD MLA Dr Hari Chand Middha, was also considered a lightweight in comparison to Surjewala and Digvijay. But his resounding victory by over 12,000 votes suggests polarisation of electorate in terms of Jats and non-Jats, and urban and rural voters.
Jind, being a semi-rural constituency, has about one lakh urban and suburban voters as compared to about 70,000 in the rural areas. It also has 27% voters from the dominant Jat community.
BJP candidate reaps urban votes
Middha, who trailed in rural areas, captured a strong lead in the urban and suburban areas. During the 13 rounds of counting of votes, the BJP candidate outshone his rivals by pocketing a big share of urban votes.
Middha, in fact, led in five rounds in which votes from urban areas were counted. The debutant also managed to get a slender lead in a round having a blend of urban and rural votes.
JJP captures rural areas
The bypoll outcome indicates that the fledgling JJP, a defiant offshoot of Om Prakash Chautala’s Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), made its mark in the villages by getting leads in five rounds in which rural votes were counted. However, the Jat-centric party surprisingly got more votes than the BJP in two rounds where urban votes were counted.
Digvijay and Jannayak Janta Party’s debut performance will help them get ready for taking a bigger political leap and stake credible claim on the legacy of former deputy prime minister Devi Lal by projecting themselves as the “real successors” and a viable alternative to the INLD.
Congress, a big loser
The Congress decision to field heavyweight candidate Surjewala proved to be a wrong move.
The party suffered a big blow with its nominee finishing a poor third and not being able to make a mark in either rural or urban areas.
The decision of Congress president Rahul Gandhi to field Surjewala, already an MLA from neighbouring Kaithal assembly constituency, for the bypoll clearly outlined the party’s intent to take the ruling BJP head on.
Surjewala’s entry looked promising on paper but despite a rare expression of unity among Congress leaders to back him, his electoral fortunes dipped significantly.
