Unlike Punjab, Haryana bumpy road for Kejriwal
CHANDIGARH: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is making a determined bid to become an alternative political force in Haryana. Party national convener Arvind Kejriwal’s visit to Jhajjar on Monday was his seventh to the state in three months. The Delhi chief minister sees a window of opportunity for expanding the party’s base in his home state of Haryana that goes to the polls next year.
But the challenge before the party in Jat land is the lack of a prominent and credible face to lead and connect with hinterland voters. The party needs a dedicated cadre and funds for expansion. With Punjab slipping away from his grip with Kejriwal accused of muffling the voice of a section of party leaders in the border state, the focus has shifted to Haryana where he is hoping to find favour as he takes on the BJP, Congress and INLD.
Haryana AAP is led by a political greenhorn, Navin Jaihind, who hopes to win over the National Capital Region (NCR) by selling the AAP’s Delhi model of governance. The challenge before Kejriwal, who is from Siwani Mandi near Hisar, is to make inroads in the hinterland. AAP supporters in Haryana are banking on the Kejriwal government’s gains in education and health. With this in mind, Kejriwal visited government schools and hospitals in the state on Monday.
“Haryana is the focus area. There is a political vacuum here. AAP’s Delhi model of governance is our USP. Our volunteers are engaged in door-to-door campaigns,” Jaihind, who was jailed during the 2011 Anna Hazare movement, said.
Kejriwal will visit government schools and hospitals at Tosham in Bhiwani on Tuesday. He will visit Hisar, Fatehabad, Kaithal and Ambala on October 29 and 30.
PERSONALITY, JAT FACTORS
Professor Ranbir Singh, a senior fellow at the Institute of Social Sciences in Delhi, says the political scene in Haryana is different from Delhi and Punjab. Haryana politics is personality-driven, which is a disadvantage for the AAP. “The AAP doesn’t have bright chances. The party will have to offer something different and credible. It lacks leadership, cadre and organisation in Haryana. The only plus is that it is a new party with a clean slate. This may help in the urban areas,” he says.
In Haryana’s caste and classdriven politics, Jats play a formidable role. It is believed that the Jat vote can impact the outcome of elections in 35 of the 90 assembly segments. In 15 segments of south Haryana, Ahirs play a deciding role, Punjabis dominate 15 seats.
In the 2014 assembly elections in which the BJP won 47 segments, analysts say the deciding factor was the consolidation of non-Jat votes in its favour. There was a division of Jat votes between the Congress and the INLD.
WITH PUNJAB SLIPPING FROM GRIP, AAP SELLS DELHI MODEL TO HARYANA BUT FACES CHALLENGE IN HINTERLAND; KEJRI MAKES 7TH VISIT TO HOME STATE IN 3 MONTHS
CHANCE AND CHALLENGE
The Manohar Lal Khattar-led BJP government is battling antiincumbency and the perception of mediocre performance. The BJP cadre is cribbing.
The Congress with 17 MLAs is locked in a factional feud. Former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and state party chief Ashok Tanwar are at loggerheads. Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Kiran Choudhry, All India Congress Committee (AICC) chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala and former Union minister Kumari Selja are also in the race to head the party that is in disarray.
No better is the political health of the INLD, the principal opposition. Rebellion within the family has dented its image. The leadership of Abhay Chautala, the face of the party in the absence of party supremo Om Parkash Chautala, lodged in Tihar jail for 10 years since 2013, is being challenged by nephew and Hisar MP Dushyant Chautala.
Capturing this political space is at the heart of Kejriwal’s visits. He hopes to give fillip to door-todoor programmes.
The AAP performance in Haryana in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections was unimpressive. Its candidates in the 10 seats were relegated to fourth and fifth spots. Unlike Punjab, where the AAP caused a political upheaval in the Lok Sabha and later the 2017 assembly elections, it’s a bumpy road ahead.
But Kejriwal is known for springing surprises!