The coming together of Rashtriya Lok Dal leader Jayant Chaudhary with BJP is also going to have an impact on the politics of Rajasthan. After conferring Bharat Ratna on farmer leader Chaudhary Charan Singh, the politics of Jat-dominated states seems to be directly affected. Jats may be inclined towards the BJP. In the last ten years, the BJP has not been able to produce any big leader from the Jat community within the party. Sahib Singh Verma was a Jat face of the BJP at one time, but after his death, neither his son Parvesh Verma nor any other leader could make that place. Efforts were made but the party did not encourage it.
Satish Poonia, who comes from the Jat community in Rajasthan, was retained as the state president for four and a half years, however, just before the elections last year, he became a victim of party factionalism and was removed from the post of president. The party’s decision came as a surprise because even in Rajasthan, Jats influence a large part. The BJP also suffered losses in Jat-dominated areas in the elections. The party has been trying since then how to cultivate the Jat and the farmer community because if this section of the society is unhappy in the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP’s slogan of 370 can suffer a major setback.
The Bharat Ratna award to former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh has sent a big message to farmers and Jats. The Jat community, which is considered anti-BJP, can now come on board. However, despite all the opposition in western Uttar Pradesh, the Jats supported the BJP in the last assembly elections. But in the assembly elections of Haryana and Rajasthan, the Jat vote was less for the BJP. Due to this, the BJP had to form a coalition government in Haryana and got fewer seats than expected in Rajasthan. Meanwhile, Congress won in Jat-dominated areas.
There are many reasons behind the dissatisfaction of the Jat community in Rajasthan. One is that last year, just before the assembly elections, the BJP removed Satish Poonia, hailing from the Jat community, from the position of State President. Secondly, even after the formation of the government, no significant position was given to anyone from the Jat community. Even at the Central level, the Jats did not receive equal representation. This was the biggest crisis for the party as they felt that, after reaching this level, no one from the jat community could be established as a national face.
Although Prime Minister Narendra Modi appointed Jagdeep Dhankhar as the Vice President of the Jat community in Rajasthan, it did not have much impact. Now, Prime Minister Modi has honoured Chaudhary Charan Singh with the Bharat Ratna, making a significant gesture towards the larger Jat community. It will have an impact on Western Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Punjab, while, an attempt has been made to appease the disgruntled Jats in Rajasthan as well. This is because, in Rajasthan, Jats play a decisive role in 8 to 10 seats in the Lok Sabha.
In the legislative assembly elections, Lok Dal had an alliance with the Congress. Due to this, Lok Dal’s Subhash Garg has been winning elections in alliance with Congress for two consecutive terms. Congress won more seats in Jat-dominated areas in the legislative assembly elections. Now, equations will change. Garg has also stated that whatever decision the national leadership makes will be acceptable to him. In a way, this will be a significant setback for Congress. If the Jat community in Rajasthan openly joins hands with the BJP, then the BJP can win all 25 seats for the third consecutive time.
