BJP candidate Krishan Middha has won the bypoll to the Jind Assembly seat in Haryana. He defeated his Jannayak Janata Party rival Digvijay Chautala by a margin of 12,935 votes. Congress’ Randeep Singh Surjewala stood a distant third.
The bypoll, which was necessitated because of the death of sitting Indian National Lok Dal MLA Hari Chand Middha, became a high-profile affair with the Congress fielding its national communications in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala and Digvijay Chautala also throwing his hat in the ring.
It was a high-stakes battle for Digvijay Chautala after he and his brother Dushyant Chautala were expelled from the Indian National Lok Dal by their grandfather, former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala.
The BJP fielded the late INLD MLA’s son Krishan Middha. The INLD fielded local leader Umed Singh Redhu.
Jat Vote Split, Filling of Job Vacancies Helped BJP
The BJP appears to have benefitted from the consolidation of non-Jat votes and the split in Jat votes between the JJP, Congress and INLD, all of whom fielded Jat candidates against the BJP’s Khatri nominee.
Jats account for around 25 percent of the population in the seat and are concentrated in the villages around Jind. However, more than half the population lives in the city, which is dominated by Khatris and Brahmins. The seat also has a sizable number of Dalit and Saini voters.
No Jat candidate has won from Jind in over 30 years.
The manner in which the Haryana government under Manohar Lal Khattar filled up thousands of vacancies in government jobs, also gave an edge to the BJP.
Advantage BJP Ahead of Lok Sabha Polls
This win in Jind comes as a major boost to the BJP, particularly chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections and the Haryana Assembly elections later in the year. It indicates that the party continues to be popular among non-Jat voters, particularly in urban areas. The party recently swept the civic elections in several cities in Haryana.
On the other hand, the result is disappointing for the Congress as well as the JJP.
While a Congress win was unlikely, especially given the fact that Surjewala is not from Jind but from Kaithal, being reduced to third position is bad news for the party.
Despite fielding a senior leader like Surjewala, the JJP got more Jat votes than the Congress. So the Congress’ attempt to become the first choice for the Jat community in Haryana didn’t lead anywhere.
However, the result would come as a shot in the arm for Surjewala’s rivals within the Congress, such as former chief minister Bhupender Singh Hooda. The result strengthens Hooda’s position as the tallest Congress leader in Haryana, particularly among the Jat community.
Reacting to the result, Surjewala said, “I hope Manohar Lal Khattar and Krishan Middha will fulfill the dreams of the people of Jind. I was given a responsibility by the party which I fulfilled to the best of my abilities”.
The win would also come as a disappointment for the JJP, which was fighting the election in alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party. As it was the first election for the JJP, which was formed after the expulsion of Dushyant and Digvijay Chautala, the party had a lot at stake. A win could have established the two Chautala grandsons as the primary claimants for the Jat vote bank in Haryana.
However, they can draw solace from the fact that the JJP performed better than the Congress and their parent party INLD.
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