Jat community to determine who will win West Delhi seat
The seat was seen as crucial for the Jat community, when Sajjan Kumar, a former Cong leader, was in power.
In Short
- Jat votes will be divided because of candidates from their community
- Congress made a clean sweep in the constituency when Mahabal Mishra won the seat in 2009
- Constituency was considered to be very important for Jat community
Sikh and Punjabi voters continue to have a crucial role in the West Delhi Lok Sabha constituency which has two Jat and one Purvanchali candidate in the fray. Political analysts believe that the situation has, however, changed due to a triangular’ contest between the BJP, the AAP and the Congress.
Purvanchali, Jat, Sikh and Punjabi voters will play an important role in this area. It is believed that the Jat votes will be divided because of candidates from their community. Purvanchalis can also split their votes, mainly for Prime Minister Modi. Earlier, the constituency was considered to be very important for the Jat community, when Sajjan Kumar, a former Congress leader, was in power. Later, Purvanchali voters became a vital part of the West Delhi seat.
The Congress made a clean sweep in the constituency when party candidate Mahabal Mishra won the seat in 2009 with the support of Purvanchali as well as Sikh and Punjabi voters. Experts say that the Congress played it well during the 2009 election’ by highlighting former PM Manmohan Singh’s name during a massive rally. The party organised the campaign rally in a bid to attract the Sikh and Punjabi voters, and finally with their support the Congress swept the polls with a huge victory.
However, in the 2014 elections, the situation changed as the Aam Aadmi Party’s entry made it a triangular’ contest. AAP candidate Jarnail Singh contested the polls from the West Delhi seat and the Congress went down to the third position. The Congress candidate bagged 14.33 per cent of the total votes, the AAP received 28.38 per cent votes, and the BJP was ahead in the election with 48.30 per cent votes. The BJP’s victory was believed to be because of the Jat candidate for the seat all credit to Sikh and Punjabi voters.
Also, PM Modi got votes from the Purvanchali supporters. Senior BJP leaders say that because of the mixing of groups among the Easterners it is difficult to decide on the vote tally on the basis of castes. In the 2019 polls, current MP Parvesh Verma from the BJP, Balbir Singh Jakhar from the AAP and Congress’ candidate Mahabal Mishra are in the electoral fray for the West Delhi seat.
(India Today TV)