In Haryana’s Bhiwani, why this CPI(M) candidate has a poll symbol issue on hand

Haryana is acceptable to ballot connected October 5 and it is the archetypal clip that the CPI(M) is contesting an Assembly predetermination successful Bhiwani.

“Labourers and farmers recognise our awesome but not communal men. Now, astatine each place, we notation that our predetermination awesome is ‘hammer, sickle and star’, that the Congress has fixed this spot to the CPI(M), and that determination volition beryllium nary Congress awesome connected the ballot paper,” Prakash tells The Indian Express.

At his nationalist meetings, Prakash appeals to his supporters to usher voters astir the canvass symbol. “At the past moment, they (political opponents) tin hatch immoderate conspiracy oregon mislead the voters… they tin spell to immoderate extent. They tin dispersed rumours that determination is nary awesome of ‘hand’ connected the ballot paper,” says Prakash.

The Congress is contesting 89 seats successful Haryana, leaving the Bhiwani spot for its confederation spouse CPI(M). In Bhiwani, Om Prakash volition instrumentality connected three-time BJP MLA Ghanshyam Dass Saraf.

Actor Raj Babbar, who was a Congress campaigner from Gurgaon successful the caller Lok Sabha elections, has already held a roadshow successful enactment of Prakash portion erstwhile Haryana main curate Bhupinder Singh Hooda is acceptable to clasp a rally successful enactment of the CPI(M) campaigner successful Bhiwani connected Wednesday.

Prakash was a main manager astatine UCO Bank successful Chandigarh till 2014 erstwhile helium decided to instrumentality voluntary status to dedicate his clip to highlighting the issues of citizens successful Bhiwani. He has led respective movements implicit the contented of civic amenities and instrumentality and bid isolated from participating successful the agitation of farmers and labourers successful Bhiwani.

Caste whitethorn play a cardinal relation successful Haryana elections but Prakash says arsenic a Communist, helium does not judge successful casteism. “I americium not a antheral of a peculiar caste but a idiosyncratic of 36 biradari (communities). Now, they are lasting by maine similar a rock…solid,” helium tells his voters.

However, galore successful Bhiwani judge that adjacent if the caste origin works, it would not enactment against Om Prakash arsenic helium hails from the Jat assemblage portion Saraf belongs to the Baniya (Agarwal) community.

There are 2.35 lakh voters successful Bhiwani constituency. As per section estimates, determination are 35,000 to 40,000 voters from the Scheduled Caste and Other Backward Class communities, 20,000 to 30,000 voters from the Brahmin, Rajput, Jat and Punjabi communities, astir 13,000 Baniya (Agarwal) voters, and 6,000 Muslim voters.

Political observers accidental that BJP rebel and Independent campaigner Priya Asija, a Punjabi, and Indu Sharma, a Brahmin, whitethorn get sizeable votes from their communities. In the municipal assembly chairperson predetermination successful 2022, Sharma had secured 22,000 votes and mislaid the canvass conflict by a bladed borderline of astir 1,000 votes.

Former authorities curate and erstwhile Bhiwani MLA Thakur Bir Singh’s grandson Abhijit Rajput was expecting a Congress summons this clip but erstwhile the spot was fixed to the CPI(M), helium turned rebel and decided to contention the predetermination arsenic an Independent. He is eyeing sizable votes from the Rajput community.

While the caste equations whitethorn not beryllium against Prakash, the BJP’s 3 consecutive wins from Bhiwani are surely a large challenge. In the caller Lok Sabha polls, BJP campaigner Dharambir Singh had maintained a pb of 28,800 votes from the Bhiwani Vidhan Sabha segment.

“Certainly, the triumph from Bhiwani would beryllium a large challenge. But the radical person choler against the sitting MLA. He ne'er participated erstwhile they fought for civic amenities oregon implicit the contented of corruption and instrumentality and order. He did not adjacent rise their issues. That is wherefore radical are upset with him,” says Prakash.

However, Saraf is assured of winning the Bhiwani seat. He counts a aesculapian assemblage and a assemblage successful Bhiwani during the BJP authorities among his main achievements and claims that astir 2,000 youngsters from Bhiwani got authorities jobs during the BJP authorities without kharchi-parchi (favouritism).