Hot seat: Close fight in Kalayat as parties vie for Jat vote pie
Former minister Kamlesh Dhanda is the BJP candidate pitted against Congress Hisar MP’s son and party candidate Vikas Saharan, AAP state senior vice-president Anurag Dhanda and INLD state president Ram Pal Majra.
The Kalayat assembly constituency is all set for a multi-cornered contest with prominent candidates from the BJP, Congress, AAP and INLD locking horns, all from the Jat community that dominates the seat. The entry of at least three party rebels contesting as Independents has also made the contest tough.
Situated along the state highway roads joining speedy expressways, a visible contrast welcomes you with the overflowing drains and dusty roads in Kalayat town of Kaithal.
Nearly 25 km away from the district headquarters, the town still awaits a permanent solution to the civic mess in villages and the town.
The scenario is almost same in all the villages of the region, stray animals, stinking ‘johads’, open drains and elderly men playing cards with a tadka of political gossips ending with a hope. A hope for change.
Former minister Kamlesh Dhanda is the BJP candidate pitted against Congress Hisar MP’s son and party candidate Vikas Saharan, AAP state senior vice-president Anurag Dhanda and INLD state president Ram Pal Majra.
Congress rebels, including former MLA Satvinder Rana and Anita Dhull and BJP rebel Vinod Nirmal are also in the fray as Independent candidates, who may pose a serious challenge to candidates of mainstream parties.
In every village, there is no way for the disposal of wastewater and no system for the availability of drinking water, says AAP’s Anurag Dhanda while he heads for the rally of party’s national president and former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.
“You see, for three decades Kalayat has been entangled between three raj parivars of Kamlesh Dhanda, Jai Prakash and Ram Pal Majra. All have been ministers and at senior positions, who could have brought development here. There is not even a single hospital that gives treatment. Only a small government facility gives you a referral slip to get treatment from PGIs in Rohtak or Chandigarh. There is no factory or industrial unit where our youth could get work. Schools are in a shambles and drains are overflowing. They did nothing,” the AAP leader said.
The constituency, which has been a political battleground of the families, is witnessing an interesting competition among political stalwarts and fresh faces, with caste dynamics playing a major role in determining the outcome.
Kalayat is one of the oldest constituencies of the state, which was in the reserved category till 2009, but after the delimitation, the Pai segment was dissolved and a major part of it was added into Kalayat and was converted into the open category.
The constituency comprises the towns of Kalayat and Rajaund along with over 60 villages.
At Balu village Karamvir Singh lists out the achievements of the BJP government in the state but fails to justify why the town remained neglected after his colleagues point out.
“Madam Dhanda worked honestly and was approachable but the people in her inner circle dominated the BJP unit and ignored old workers,” says Ram Chander, sitting next to Singh.
On 10 minutes of drive is Batta village where villagers wait for Kamlesh Dhanda, who is running late by nearly two hours due to the busy schedule of BJP state president Mohanlal Badoli.
She was to address three corner meetings with the party chief in three villages, including Batta. At the meetings, Dhanda is banking on the development works she carried out or taken forward by caretaker chief minister Nayab Singh Saini.
Wife of BJP stalwart and former minister late Narsingh Dhanda, she was also the minister of state for women and child development in Manohar Lal Khattar cabinet (2019-2024) but was dropped from the list of ministers under Saini.
“Our government has provided jobs to youth on the basis of merit by abolishing the ‘parchi and kharchi’ (recommendation and bribe) system that was rampant during previous regimes. If elected, I will continue to carry out the development works even further,” said Dhanda.
35-year-old debutant, Saharan has support of his MP father, who was elected as an independent from the seat in 2014. He is hopeful to make inroads for the Congress that has faced significant challenges over the past three elections and failed to secure a victory.
The young candidate is accusing the BJP of neglecting the constituency over the years, but also facing flak for all the wrong reasons due to his father.
At a poll rally on September 11 in the city, JP made a comment reflecting gender bias and courted a controversy. “If lipstick and powder can make one a leader, I’ll apply them too. Why should I keep a beard then?”
The lawmaker later defended himself and said that his words were twisted. Later during another rally, when he shared stage with former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda, he was seen hitting a man next to him with his leg.
On the other hand, three-time MLA Majra is not a new face for Kalayat. Having been elected as an INLD legislator in 2009, he had joined the BJP in 2019 eying ticket.
However, he resigned from the saffron party during the 2020-21 farmer’s agitation. Following the gruesome murder of INLD’s state president Nafe Singh Rathee in March, he joined the party and filled the post.
During his programmes, Majra has accused both the BJP and the Congress of ignoring the constituency.
Political analysts suggest that the caste factor will play a critical role in this election, with a sizable presence of voters from the Jat, Rajput, and other communities.