No cakewalk, but Ajit still has an edge
MEERUT : The scars of the 2013 communal riots remain in the hearts of the people of Muzaffarnagar region but most of them now want to leave the past behind and move forward in life.
Majority of the riot victims believe that the clashes, which tore apart the centuries-old communal harmony between Jats and Muslims of the region, were politically motivated.
This change in mindset has kindled hope for the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) to revive its winning equation of Jats and Muslims, coupled with Dalit support, to ensure the victory of party chief Ajit Singh.
After losing from his traditional Baghpat constituency in the previous election, Ajit Singh is now trying his luck from Muzaffarnagar constituency as a candidate of the SP-BSP-RLD alliance. Though most people believe that riots are a non-issue in this election, they accept that the hearts of people who suffered in the violence were still scarred.
Pradhan of Chabaria village in Sardhana constituency of Muzaffarnagar Lok Sabha seat said, “The BJP has created a good following in the constituency and Ajit will have to face a tough challenge.”
He, however, agreed that Ajit was a stalwart and son of late Chaudhary Charan Singh so he would draw a good percentage of Jat votes who had largely voted for the BJP in 2014.
Khaps play a significant social role among Jats and secretary of Sarv Khap Panchayat Subhash Balyan claimed that Jats were annoyed with Ajit because he didn’t care for his clan during and after the riots.
“Rahul Gandhi and Manmohan Singh visited the area after the riots but Ajit did not visit the area. People are annoyed over it,” he said.
He, however, said things had changed in the last five years. He speculated that Ajit would attract over 50% of those Jat voters who had drifted away in 2014, leaving the RLD with zero representation in the Lok Sabha.
Muzaffarnagar Lok Sabha constituency has five assembly seats: Budhana, Charthawal, Muzaffarnagar, Khatauli and Sardhana. In 2014, Sanjeev Balyan of the BJP defeated Bahujan Samaj Party’s (BSP) Kadir Rana with a margin of 40,000 votes. In 2009, Kadir Rana defeated RLD’s Anuradha Choudhary by a margin of 20,000 votes.
Muslim voters dominate in all five assembly constituencies of this Lok Sabha seat which has approximately 17 lakh voters. Muslims constitute over 26% of voters, followed by 15 % Jatav and 8% Jats.
Being an alliance candidate, Ajit is banking on almost 50% share of these voters which are largely associated with the alliance and vote against the BJP. The BJP is banking on other castes, including Brahmin, Prajapati, Saini, Kashyap and Thakur who are also in sizeable number. Prajapatis make up almost 7% of the total voters followed by 5% Kashyaps, 4% Sainis and 3.5% Thakurs and Brahmins each. There are many other castes and subcastes and contestants will leave no stone unturned to bring them to their fold to ensure victory.
Mufti Zulfikar, state president of All India Imam Association, is confident about Ajit Singh’s victory.
“Ajit Singh is a stalwart and his presence in the election will help revive harmony which was sabotaged in 2013. Jats and Muslims are like family and the rift has been bridged through meetings and dialogues. People now understand what and who is good for them,” he said.
Mufti said even if the Congress pitted a Muslim candidate against the alliance nominee, the minority community would remain with Ajit Singh. He said Ajit and his son had shown their concern for communal harmony during the Kairana by-election in which they encouraged people to
revive their old ties and live in peace.
“Their efforts yielded positive results and a good percentage of Jat voters returned to the RLD, voting for a Muslim candidate Tabassum Hasan,” he said.
In Phugana village, which was the centre of the riot, 157 villagers were sent to jail. They believe that Ajit Singh did not care for them and it was the BJP leaders who helped them in their hour of crisis, even regularly visiting them in jail.
Former pradhan Harpal Singh and Pushpendra Malik of the village questioned, “Why should we vote for him (Ajit) when he didn’t come to us when we needed him the most?”
Sugarcane dues, law and order and depleting income of farmers can be other issues during the election. However, most people are of the opinion that while it won’t be a cakewalk for a leader like Ajit Singh, he still has an edge over other candidates.