Lok Sabha elections 2019: It’s battle of prestige for all on Chautalas’ home turf in Haryana

All the four political majors in Haryana, namely the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress, Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and its splinter outfit Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) are locked in a pitched battle of prestige in the Sirsa (SC) parliamentary seat.

Since its formation in 1967, the Sirsa parliamentary seat has never gone to the BJP but the party has hopes on the Modi wave. The constituency has been a stronghold of the Congress, though Sirsa has also been a citadel of the INLD as it is the home of its patriarch and former deputy prime minister Devi Lal and his clan.

Of the total 14 times the constituency has gone to the polls, the Congress has won eight times, INLD three times and Janata Party, Janata Dal and Lok Dal, once each. INLD has fielded its sitting MP Charanjeet Singh Rori from the seat this time.

Sunita Duggal, the BJP nominee from the seat this time, was first given a ticket for Ratia assembly seat in 2014 but lost to INLD’s Ravinder Baliana by about 400 votes. This time, she and the party workers are enthusiastic about the Modi wave.

Congress’ candidate Ashok Tanwar who finished second with about 3.9 lakh votes in 2014 polls, hopes to have more votes this time. He has also been to Dera Sacha Sauda and is hopeful of a positive response.

SIKH VERSUS SIKH

Political observers opine that INLD sitting MP Rori, who won with over 5 lakh votes, may have to share his support base with JJP’s Nirmal Singh Malhadi, owing to the recent crippling split in the party.

The INLD traditionally has had a strong support base in Rania, Ellenabad, Dabwali, Kallanwali, Narwana and Ratia and has its MLAs in seven of the total nine assembly segments. While its five MLAs are with it, Pirthi Singh (Narwana) and Dabwali MLA Naina Chautala are siding with JJP. Only Tohana segment is with BJP (Subhash Barala) while Kalanwali segment is with Balkaur Singh of SAD.

The Sirsa LS seat has about 30% schedule caste votes, about 25% Jat and the remaining is divided among Punjabi, Brahmin, Baniya and other castes. The INLD or JJP leaders may hate to admit it, the split has left a bitter taste in voters’ mouth. Suresh Kumar, a dhaba owner in Fatehabad, says that the INLD voters have till recently been dedicated to the party but the split has left them divided as well.

People across the constituency appeared divided between BJP, Congress and INLD candidates.

THE DERA FACTOR

The Dera Sacha Sauda, headquartered at Sirsa, carries a considerable sway in the constituency but it has so far not declared its support for any party.

The Dera supporters’ presence is in a sizeble number in six (of the total nine) assembly segments— Ratia, Tohana, Kallanwali, Dabwali, Rania and Sirsa. With an eye on their support, Tanwar has attended the Dera congregation on Sunday.

The candidates of other parties, particularly the BJP, which benefited from the Dera support in 2014 state polls, are also not averse to seeking its support.

The Dera is divided over the support to ruling BJP in the state due to its crackdown on Dera supporters who were protesting against conviction of Dera head Gurmeet Ram Rahim in a rape case two years ago when 36 Dera supporters were killed in subsequent clashes across the state.