Sonipat Lok Sabha Polls: Wrestlers, Farmers, Agniveer Key Issues In Haryana's Key Jat Constituency

The constituency will vote in phase six on May 25. (AP)

The Sonipat Lok Sabha constituency is one of the 10 parliamentary constituencies in Haryana, designated as a General category seat. It includes part of Jind district and the entire Sonipat district. The constituency is divided into nine Legislative Assembly segments – Ganaur, Rai, Kharkhauda (SC), Sonipat, Gohana, and Baroda in Sonipat district, and Julana, Safidon, and Jind in Jind district. The constituency will vote in phase six on May 25.

Sitting MP: Ramesh Chander Kaushik of the BJP since 2014, preceded by Jitender Singh of Congress (2009)

Candidates: Satpal Brahmachari (Congress), Mohan Lal Badoli of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)

POLITICAL DYNAMICS

The Sonipat constituency is one of the most prestigious seats in Haryana, harbouring a rapidly growing industrial and educational base adjoining the national capital. This is a Jat-heavy constituency, comprising about 35% Jat voters, who tend to dominate the polls. Of the 12 MPs, nine have been from the Jat community. Brahmins form the second-largest caste community with over 13% of the voter population.

This Lok Sabha election, both the BJP and Congress have fielded Brahmin candidates. Two other parties, the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), have fielded Jat candidates, and will be minor players in the election.

Trouble For BJP Palpable: For the BJP, which is aiming for a hat-trick and yet facing opposition from Jat voters, Sonipat is expected to be a tough seat to retain in what is going to be a very close contest.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Ramesh Kaushik won the seat for a second time, with a dominant 52.1% vote share, defeating former Congress chief minister and Jat heavyweight Bhupinder Hooda by a comfortable margin of 1.62 lakh votes. The two-time MP was, however, embroiled in major controversy, surrounding an alleged video leak, which caught Kaushik in a compromising position with a woman. In his defence, Kaushik rejected the allegations against him, calling them a smear campaign. It is said that owing to the controversy, the BJP high command ultimately decided not to grant him a ticket for a third term and fielded Mohan Lal Badoli in his place.

Mohan Lal Badoli is the MLA from Rai constituency, and is also the General Secretary of Haryana BJP. However, as per sources on the ground, he faces anti-incumbency in his own constituency, with accusations that he has not accessible to the people. Moreover, there has been some chatter about infighting as the sitting MP Ramesh Kaushik was not given a party ticket.

Attempts have been made to ensure a united front by the BJP. Former Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar visited the residence of MP Ramesh Kaushik before attending the public meeting of BJP candidate Mohanlal Barauli. During their conversation, Ramesh Kaushik assured Manohar Lal of his full support, emphasising that he is a dedicated BJP member. After the meeting, Kaushik’s younger brother, Devendra, joined Khattar at BJP’s Vijay Sankalp rally. Devendra dismissed rumours that he opposed Mohanlal Barauli, reaffirming his commitment to the BJP and its victory.

In this region, which deeply influenced by the Hindu epic Mahabharata, the BJP has been drawing analogies painting itself as the Pandavas and the Congress as the Kauravas. At the rally, Khattar highlighted the achievements of the Narendra Modi government, stating the Modi administration completed projects left pending by the Congress government and made significant decisions that strengthened India’s global position. He cited the abrogation of Article 370 as a move that boosted national confidence, including in Kashmir. Khattar contrasted the current government’s stance on national security, claiming that during Congress rule, soldiers were frequently martyred, whereas now, any threats are met with firm responses. He also noted the liberation of Muslim women from triple talaq, the diminishing influence of the ‘tukde tukde gang’, and the surrender of Naxalites. He concluded with criticism of the Congress for being a family-centric party, while praising Modi for facilitating the rise of grassroots leaders.

Ultimately, the BJP is banking on the Modi factor, which remains prevalent and may serve as the saving grace for the party. Welfare schemes such as Garib Kalyan Yojana, Awas Yojana and so on have ensured a considerable degree of support from poorer sections of society. The construction of the Ram Mandir was also celebrated widely in this constituency, and there is strong approval for the BJP’s Hindutva politics.

However, the Modi factor has been dampened by caste divides, which have visibly re-emerged since 2019. At the heart of the problem for the BJP is the emergence of Jat issues and the dominant Jat community’s discontentment with the Centre’s handling of the farmers’ and wrestlers’ protests. Sources on the ground indicate that Sarpanch leaders of many panchayats in Jat-dominated villages have declared support for the Congress. With Jats comprising 35% of the voting population, the BJP has been left jittery about its prospects in this constituency.

Congress’s Gamble: The Congress appears to have an upper hand this election, with Jat anger against the BJP being key to its re-emergence. It also has five MLAs here as opposed to the BJP’s three MLAs.

The Congress has nominated Haryana-born Satpal Brahmachari who was involved in active politics in Uttarakhand prior to this stint. He was elected as the Haridwar mayor in 2003, served as the Haridwar Congress President and is closely associated with Bhupinder Singh Hooda having been picked personally by the leader.

Satpal Brahmachari, who is also from the Brahmin community like his BJP rival, contested from Haridwar on a Congress ticket and lost to the BJP’s Madan Kaushik on two occasions in 2012 and 2022.

Notably, Brahmachari is seen as a socio-religious leader and is popular across the Haryanvi Hindu community, as he runs two Ashrams in Haridwar, namely Radhakrishna and Thanaram and one Ashram in Pandu Pindara village of Jind district. Several pilgrims from Haryana visit these Ashrams and interact where Brahmachari often interacts with them. Bhupinder Hooda, who lost the election in 2019 to Brahmin candidate Ramesh Kaushik, aims to leverage the spiritual image of Satpal Brahmachari and the connections he established with the Haryanvi community.

Moreover, Brahmachari originally comes from Congress-dominated Safidon in Jind, which falls under the Sonipat constituency. His nomination has swayed voters in Safidon and two other assembly segments Julana and Jind, who are pleased with the fact that a leader from the Jind district has been given a ticket for a change.

Backed by former chief minister and Jat stalwart Bhupinder Hooda, Brahmachari enjoys the support of the 35% Jat community, which can prove to be a winning factor for the Congress. He is also well-known and respected among Brahmin and Rajput voters. Additionally, ex-union minister Birender Singh recently quit the BJP and returned to the Congress after a decade, indicating the shifting political sands in this region.

Meanwhile, it remains to be seen whether a complete consolidation of Jat votes is possible despite the Modi factor. It remains to be seen whether the INLD and the JJP, which have nominated Jat leaders from Sonipat, trigger a consequential split in the Jat vote or whether the Congress weathers this minor obstacle.

VOTER DEMOGRAPHICS (2011 CENSUS)

Total Voters (2019): 16,16,363

Urban Areas: 30.7%

Rural Areas: 69.3%

Literacy Rate: 66.71%

Social Composition

SC: 19.2%

ST: 0%

Religious Composition

Hindu: 96%

Muslim: 2.65%

Sikh: 1%

KEY ISSUES

Wrestlers’ Protest: This issue has been raised by many opposition party leaders in the country. This has become an emotive issue to a certain degree for the Jat community. Satyapal Malik, a Jat leader from the BJP voiced his support for the wrestlers. In January 2023, Indian wrestlers protested allegations of sexual harassment against BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh during his tenure as the president of the Wrestling Federation of India. The protests, held in New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, led to assurances from the Central Government to form a committee for investigation. However, the protests resumed in April 2023 due to perceived inaction and bias. Bhushan, a BJP member, faced criticism for alleged protection by the government and pressure on protesters to withdraw their cases.

Farmers’ Issues: Farmers in this largely rural constituency face a host of issues including water shortage, absence of irrigation, shrinking yields and falling incomes. The region struggled low rains and a wide temperature arc from -1 degree Celsius in the winter to 51 degree Celsius in the summer, causing more stress to the farming community. Farmers also complain that the MSPs provided by the government are not enough, and the crop insurance scheme offered by the government does not sufficiently cover the costs. Led by the Jat community, the farmers’ protests have found significant ground here.

Agniveer Scheme: The Agniveer scheme is another issue on the ballot as local youth view the scheme as a limitation on their aspirations to join the Army, which is one of the few popular avenues for employment from the region.

Industrial Pollution: Villages in rural Sonipat suffer through the pollution caused by the industrial waste dumped by nearby plants and industries. The issue is more defined in areas of Saboli, Nathupur, Kundli, Akbarpur Barota Safiabad and Sersa are not only breathing deadly air but also paying heavily for polluted water due to industrial waste. Discharge from plastic, rubber and polyester factories has led to severe environment degradation. A study shows industrial pollution contains dioxin, nitrogen dioxin, furan and benzene which are highly toxic and can cause reproductive and developmental problems, damage the immune system, interfere with hormones and also cause cancer. People have raised their voices against the blatant degradation of the environment and the toxins being released by these industries unabatedly.

Water Issues: Availability of water is a major issue especially in the rural areas. Piped water connections have failed to reach many villages in the constituency. Yamuna floods wash away the pipelines and roads in rural areas seasonally which leads to water scarcity in the region. Moreover, the water table in the urban areas has declined rapidly due to a rise in population and people digging up boring wells, according to reports, it is over-exploited. However, even ground water in the region is not fit for direct consumption. The water in Sonipat is not fit for drinking due to its high salinity and fluoride content.

Traffic Issues: Sonipat is expanding, however, the administration has failed to upgrade the road infrastructure to keep up with the demands. There are major traffic snarls throughout the city area. Narrow lanes, encroachment by hawkers, and people dwelling on the streets has made transportation even more uncomfortable and inconvenient for the people. There are premier private and government institutes in the region which attract students from across India, this adds pressure on the existing infrastructure leading to congestion.

INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT

1. Indian Institute of Technology: IIT-Delhi is now expanding its campus in Sonipat. A High Capacity Computing (HPC) facility for Artificial Intelligence (AI) with a data centre is being set up with the help of the National Supercomputing Mission (NSM). Besides, a new building under ‘Sophisticated Analytical & Technical Help Institutes (SATHI) scheme is being built adjacent to the Central Research Facility building.
2. Flipkart Warehouse: In 2023, Flipkart opened a new warehouse in Sonipat, which has helped the online marketplace expand its grocery services to over 150 pin codes across tier-II and tier-III towns such as Meerut, Panipat, Rohtak and Wazirpur. The warehouse has the capacity to accommodate an inventory of over 40 lakh units, with 2.9 lakh units being dispatched each day.
3. Booming Realty: Sonipat is witnessing a significant upswing in the real estate market, and fields are quickly replacing residential high-rises and commercial buildings. Sonipat has witnessed a remarkable socio-economic transformation since 2014, and has now emerged as a real estate and education hub. With the goal of turning Sonipat into the next NCR metropolis, a Sonipat Metropolitan Development Authority has been established for the integrated planning and development of the city. Local real estate agents estimate that there are over 50,000 housing units in different categories that have been developed across Sonipat in the last 10 years.
4. Delhi-Panipat Highway: In June 2023, Nitin Gadkari inaugurated 11 flyovers on the eight-lane National Highway from Delhi to Panipat at Sonipat. The 24 km in length project was completed at the cost of about Rs 900 crore. This has led to a significant enhancement of travel experience and reduction in travel time, apart from firmly integrating Delhi with Sonipat – since the city is now being seen as the next Gurugram or Noida. While inaugurating the flyovers last year, Nitin Gadkari also announced Rs. 300 crore under the Setu Bharatam Yojana for the construction of Road Over Bridge (ROB) and Road Under Bridge (RUB) to make Haryana free of railway level crossings. He also announced the construction of a bypass from Narwana Road to Rohtak Road and a Ring Road from Jind to Ikka will be taken up on a priority basis.