MUZAFFARNAGAR: In Muzaffarnagar’s Sardhana village, outside the modest brick house of Thakur Dalip Singh, a small group of men are discussing the Thakur community’s concerns and the ‘maha panchayats’ held in nearby Khera and other parts of Western Uttar Pradesh to boycott Union minister Sanjeev Balyan, who is an MP and a BJP candidate.
With less than 48 hours to go for the first phase, the BJP faces a tough challenge in the crucial Lok Sabha seat of Muzaffarnagar with simmering rebellion from its leaders and communities, which traditionally supported the BJP. While the Rajputs are unhappy with the smaller number of tickets for the community, they also get support from Sangeet Som, a prominent BJP leader and former MLA from Sardhana assembly seat.
The verbal spat between Balyan and Som, a ‘Thakur’ leader has already dented the party’s prospects in the polls, say BJP workers. Thakur Puran Singh, one of the leaders of the Rajput community, said the fight is to protect the dignity of the community. “There is a sizable chunk of Rajputs in Western UP. Still, we haven’t been given our share of seats,” says Singh.
In the ‘maha panchayat’, the community has decided to boycott the BJP candidates in Muzaffarnagar, Kairana, and Saharanpur constituencies over the same reason. While the top leaders are going all-out to diffuse the tension among the upper caste communities, it is also facing trouble from the influential Jat and OBC voters.
The constituency accounts for over 18 lakh voters, which includes five lakh Muslims and as many OBCs. It also has a significant population of Dalits, Jats, Thakurs, and Brahmins. The most strident voice is that of 30-year-old Ajay Saini, who thinks that the BJP will not have a smooth sail this time.
Saini says that unemployment is the biggest issue among the youth. Though he has been a loyal BJP voter, Saini says that he may choose to vote for SP candidate Harendra Malik. However, the BJP believes it will ride over the discontent with the newfound alliance with the Jayant Chowdhury-led Rashtriya Lok Dal.
Sudhir Chowdhury, a farmer, says that the Jats are divided over Jayant joining the BJP-led NDA alliance. “I have voted for the BJP in 2014 and 2019. I will not vote for the party for the sake of Jayant. The BJP has deceived the farmers,” says Chowdhury.
Politics makes strange bedfellows, says Narendra another farmer. In 2019, Balyan defeated Jayant Chowdhury’s father and RLD chief Ajit Singh by 6,500 votes.
