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Constituency watch of Sonepat: Prestige battle for Khattar, Hooda as loyalists lock horns
Both the BJP and Congress candidates have lower profile among voters but the leaders of both parties are leaving no stone unturned to secure a victory
Jat dominated Sonepat parliamentary seat is witnessing a close contest between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s Lok Sabha pick and Rai MLA Mohan Lal Kaushik and Congress’s Satpal Brahmachari, a Bhupinder Singh Hooda loyalist.
In Sonepat, party allegiance is taking central space over individual candidates. The JJP has fielded Bhupender Malik while the INLD has pitched ex-IPS officer Anoop Dahiya, both of whom are from the Jat community.
Both the BJP and Congress candidates have lower profile among voters but the leaders of both parties are leaving no stone unturned to secure a victory. In the 2019 parliamentary polls, former chief minister Hooda suffered a defeat from the BJP sitting MP Ramesh Kaushik by over 1.64 lakh votes and this time this election has become a battle of prestige for both Hooda and the BJP.
Spiritual leader Brahmachari’s name for the ticket was pushed by Bhupinder Singh Hooda.
However, BJP candidate Mohan Lal Kaushik enjoys close proximity to former chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, who first fielded him from the Rai assembly seat in Sonepat in the last assembly polls. After his victory, the party gave him organisational duties from district president of Sonepat to general secretary of the state unit.
Jats and SC voters key to win the contest
Sonepat parliamentary constituency accounts for nearly 31% of the population belonging to Jat voters, 20% are Dalit voters and 10% Brahmins. Both the BJP and Congress candidates belong to the Brahmin community and the last two elections were won by Ramesh Chander Kaushik, a Brahmin. Currently, five of Sonepat’s nine assembly segments – Kharkhauda, Sonepat, Gohana, Baroda and Safidon, are represented by the Congress, while three – Rai, Ganaur and Jind are with the BJP and the JJP is representing the Julana constituency.
Out of 13 elections from 1977 to 2019, Congress won four elections--1983 by-poll, 1984, 1991 and 2009. BJP won on four occasions- Ramesh Kaushik in 2014 and 2019 and Kishan Singh Sangwan in 1999 and 2004. A year ago, he was elected on INLD’s ticket. Out of 13 elections, nine were won by Jat candidates and four by Brahmin.
Devi Lal and Chiranji Lal changed their seats after they lost from the Sonepat Lok Sabha seat, near the National Capital Territory. Devi Lal won from the seat in 1980 and lost in the next Lok Sabha election by election in 1983 to Rizak Ram and a year later to Dharam Pal Singh Malik, who was contesting for the first time.
Congress’s Chiranji Lal, who represented Karnal in the Lok Sabha for 15 years from 1980 to 1996, fought the general election from the Sonepat seat, which is dominated by the Jat community, in 1999 unsuccessfully.
BJP banks on Modi magic, Congress rides on Hooda’s charisma
The Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) nominee Mohan Lal is banking on Narendra Modi factor and he is focusing on national issues like construction of Ram temple, revocation of Article 370 along with accusing the Congress of bringing inheritance tax.
Mohan Lal Kaushik said that the BJP government in Haryana led by Khattar gave jobs in transparent manner, purchased 14 crops on the minimum support price (MSP), brought Maruti Suzuki plant at Kharkhoda in Sonepat and disbursed compensation to peasants for their damaged crops.
“As many as 14 highways are passing through Sonepat district and Asia’s biggest vegetable market was established at Ganaur in the district. The Congress government was famous for promoting corruption and nepotism in government jobs,” he added.
Congress candidate Satpal Brahmachari, who hails from Safidon assembly segment in Jind which is part of Sonepat parliamentary seat, was elected for mayor in Haridwar municipal corporation in 2003 and unsuccessfully contested the assembly election from Haridwar in 2012 and 2022 against BJP’s Madan Kaushik. He is riding on former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s charisma, who yields support in this seat.
The Congress candidate Satpal said that he had returned to Sonepat to serve the people of the area and he is already running several ashrams in the parliamentary segment.
“The leader of opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda has been guiding me for the last several years. There is huge anti-incumbency against the BJP, which has failed to generate employment opportunities, not conducting recruitment drives and those conducted are challenged in the court. The assailants are freely making extortion calls to businessmen and firing at their establishments. The farmers, women wrestlers and sarpanches were thrashed by the police when they were raising their voices. This election is to oust BJP from the Centre and state. Next government in Haryana will be formed under Hooda’s leadership,” he added.
He further said that he had participated in the consecration ceremony of Ram Temple and he is the real ‘Ram Bhakt’. The Congress candidate is enjoying better support in rural areas and BJP is focusing to galvanise the urban voters.
According to poll experts, the outcome of this seat will be decided by three assembly segments- Julana, Jind and Safidon of the Jind district because in the last polls. Congress trailed by over 90,000 votes from these three districts.
