Kurukshetra Gears Up for Mahabharat 2.0 as AAP, BJP’s Naveen Jindal Lock Horns in ‘Kaante Ki Takkar’

This is not a war between the Kauravas and the Pandavas but the battle for Kurukshetra is no less than a modern-day Mahabharat where the Lok Sabha seat is 2024’s equivalent of Hastinapur for which both BJP leader Naveen Jindal and Congress-supported AAP candidate Sushil Gupta are squaring off.

In this Haryana seat, almost everyone seems to be betting on Jindal — who was earlier with the Congress — but he is facing a tough fight from Gupta. ‘Kaante ki takkar’ is almost a buzzword in Kurukshetra.

SPLIT WIDE OPEN

The constituency has three kinds of voters — ardent supporters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, those throwing their weight behind AAP chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, and those who support Jindal but not necessarily the BJP.

Ram Pal Chauhan belongs to this third category of voters that is caught in a peculiar situation. “He has his following. The public wants him due to his past track record. He decided to join the BJP. We have nothing to say about that. But I won’t vote for him now. If he wins, remember he will win due to his personal support base.” Chauhan says he will vote for Gupta though he is not a supporter of the AAP which is in alliance with Congress in Haryana.

However, Mahesh Goyal, who owns a swanky optical house in the heart of the city, is sure of a BJP win. “There’s no contest. BJP is winning. We will support BJP for the sake of the country,” he says. Another shopkeeper next to him who did not wish to come on record was open in his support for the prime minister. “We support PM Modi. It doesn’t matter who the candidate is. It’s a vote for the BJP,” he said.

Trivendra Pal Singh, who runs a shop just next to the Gurdwara of Kurukshetra, says it will be a neck-and-neck fight between the candidates. “Dono ka palla equal hai. Navin Jindal ka bhi our jhadu wale ka bhi. Takkar ka fight hai dono mein. [Both are heavyweights. It will be a close call between Jindal and the AAP pick].”

‘KURUKSHETRA’ OF CASTE CONFUSION

While BJP and AAP are the main players, one must not forget that INLD and JJP too have fielded candidates from Kurukshetra — Abhay Chautala and Pala Ram Saini respectively. This blurs the electoral caste equation for the BJP and the AAP.

There are 14 per cent Jats in this seat, many of whom are farmers and angry with the BJP. While the 14 per cent Jat votes could en bloc move to AAP, Abhay Chautala from the Chautala family — a Jat himself — creates a hurdle. Many Jats would prefer to vote a Jat than AAP’s Gupta — a baniya.

While it makes BJP’s job easier, its former ally JJP has fielded Pala Ram Saini which is expected to divide Saini votes that the BJP thought would en bloc move to Jindal, given that the BJP has selected a Saini as its chief minister — Nayab Singh Saini. They constitute 8 per cent of the votes in this seat.

The BJP is confident of 8 per cent Brahmin votes while neither BJP nor AAP is confident of 5 per cent Baniya votes as both Jindal and Gupta hail from the same community.

Though a narrative was being spun that rural Kurukshetra was entirely anti-BJP, News18 found it to be untrue. There are agrarian issues that bother many, but there is no dearth of BJP voters in Kurukshetra villages as well.

News18 met Shakuntala in Mirzapur village, who is a die-hard BJP supporter, but wants the job scenario to improve. “Our entire family will vote for BJP. There are many who will vote for BJP in this village. Though we have our grudges too,” she said.

ISSUES DOMINATE BATTLE

Caste will be a huge decisive factor in this election in Kurukshetra, particularly when the votes won’t move en bloc. The agrarian crisis too is an issue but not decisive enough to swing votes.

While AAP has made this election about ‘right vs wrong’ in Kurukshetra, the BJP is fighting on the plank of ‘trust Modi & Naveen’.

News18’s on-ground analysis also suggests that anti-BJP rural voters are likely to vote for AAP, not INLD, despite being mostly Jats. Away from all these considerations, there’s a silent BJP voter who transcends caste considerations that give Jindal an edge.

Explore in-depth coverage of Lok Sabha Election 2024 Schedule, Voter Turnout, Upcoming Phase And Much More At News18 Website