BJP, Congress neck and neck in 29 Haryana seats in GT Road belt

The poll battle in the seven districts of Haryana falling in the GT Road belt, considered to be the gateway to power in the state with almost one-third (29) of the 90 Assembly seats, is shaping up as a direct neck-and-neck fight between the BJP and the Congress.

Lofty promises

The BJP and the Congress are promising the moon to the voters. We will, however, vote as per our conscience keeping in view their past performance. Ditta Ram, a voter

The election campaign having entered its last leg, non-BJP, non-Congress candidates and party rebels, besides “silent” voters, who are keeping the cards close to their chest, are giving the candidates of the two main parties anxious moments two days before the campaigning for the high-stakes October 5 poll comes to an end.

“The BJP and the Congress are promising the moon to the voters. We will, however, vote as per our ‘atma ki awaaz’ (conscience) keeping in view their past performance. It is going to be a photo finish here,” Ditta Ram, a voter from the Shahbad Assembly segment, said.

Stating that unemployment was the biggest issue in Haryana, Rahul, a 22-year-old youth from Rajapur (Panipat), said it affected every section of society. “The Jat, non-Jat narrative of political parties is only to confuse the voters with a view to diverting their attention from real issues. The caste narrative will not work this time,” he said.

Political analyst Kushal Pal said the caste dynamics, which dominated the 2014 and 2019 Assembly elections, had been weakened to a large extent as bigger issues such as unemployment, illegal migration and lack of development were the overriding factors this time around.

Riding high on the Modi wave and the Jat, non-Jat narrative, the BJP won 23 of the 29 seats in the GT Road belt, comprising Panchkula, Ambala, Yamunanagar, Kurukshetra, Karnal, Panipat and Sonepat districts, in 2014 when it formed the government in Haryana. The Congress managed to win only five seats.

However, in the 2019 poll, the BJP’s tally came down to 14 while the Congress won 13 seats. Buoyed by the roadshow of its star campaigners Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi in parts of the GT Road belt yesterday, the Congress is upping the ante against the BJP to exploit the anti-incumbency sentiment.

BJP poll strategists are desperately trying to give the poll a Jat, non-Jat narrative, besides “encouraging” multi- cornered contests, to repeat its 2014 performance.

However, Congress poll managers want it to be a direct fight. Yesterday, Rahul Gandhi had cautioned the voters that the “remote control” of small parties was with the BJP.