Caste dynamics, Congress ‘arrogance’ led to BJP’s victory in Sonepat

Caste polarisation and overconfidence among Congress workers opened the door for the BJP to make significant gains in Sonepat, a district once considered a stronghold of former Chief Minister Bhupinder Hooda. For the first time, the BJP swept four out of six seats in the district, also making history by winning the Kharkhoda and Gohana Assembly seats for the first time.

Sonepat district, part of the Deswali belt, includes six Assembly segments — Sonepat, Rai, Gannaur, Gohana, Baroda and Kharkhoda. This election saw the BJP’s Krishna Gahlawat winning from Rai, Nikhil Madaan from Sonepat, Dr Arvind Sharma from Gohana, and Pawan Kharkhoda from Kharkhoda. The Congress retained the Baroda seat, with Induraj Narwal emerging victorious, while Independent candidate Devender Kadyan won from Ganaur.

The BJP’s victories in Gohana and Kharkhoda were particularly significant. Kharkhoda, created in 2009, had been held by Congress’ Jaiveer Valmiki in three consecutive elections (2009, 2014, and 2019). Previously, when it was known as Rohat, the BJP had never won from 1972 to 2005. However, this time, BJP’s Pawan Kharkhoda broke the streak and won.

Similarly, Gohana had long been out of BJP’s reach, with the party failing to open its account in the past 11 Assembly elections between 1972 and 2019. But this time, BJP’s Dr Arvind Sharma broke through and secured the constituency.

The results, announced on Tuesday, stunned Congress leaders, as the BJP captured Rai, Sonepat, Gohana, and Kharkhoda, upsetting the Hooda’s stronghold.

Advocate Amit Rathi, an election expert, said: “Due to 10 years of BJP governance, anti-incumbency was high, and the wave seemed to favour Congress. However, Congress workers became overconfident and failed to work at the grassroots level to attract voters. The Congress infighting was also a significant factor in their defeat.”