Gurgram: Inside months of robust efficiency within the state in Lok Saba’s polls, in a shift aimed toward reclaiming the misplaced floor within the 2024 Haryana Meeting election, the Congress clearly achieved a significant organizational overhaul in 11 years following the profitable caste-based technique of the Bharatiya Janata Social gathering (BJP).
By counting on non-JAT communities, significantly different backward courses (OBCs), Congress has proven a deliberate shift from conventional JAT-centric voter bases to construct a extra complete caste coalition to problem the BJP’s management, which has been in energy within the state since 2014.
Wanting on the record of district presidents of Congress launched on August 12, the get together’s restructuring displays the BJP’s method, securing third consecutive time period in Haryana by merging non-JAT and OBC votes.
Previous to the 2024 state election, the BJP changed Manohar Lal Khattar as prime minister with OBC chief Nayab Singh Saini for 10 years. It proved to be a masterstroke interesting to the backward ranks, because the get together gained the parliamentary elections and opposite to all predictions of parliamentary victory.
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Imitation of the caste calculation of BJP
Taking the leaves from the BJP playbook, the Congress appointed 10 OBC district presidents, together with 4 Gujars (together with these of which Ramchandragjar and Netrapaladana of Kaisal of Palwar and Vardhan Yadav of Gurugram Rural caste.
The transfer is seen as a direct response to the BJP’s “Saini Card,” and the Congress has established itself as an OBC advocate within the subsequent election cycle. The BJP not too long ago introduced 27 district presidents of twenty-two districts in Haryana. Extra regional presidents similar to Hansi, Higher Gurugram, Gohana, Dabwari and Balabugal hinted at a possible new quarter of the state.
Heartfelt congratulations and biggest needs to all newly appointed district presidents of the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee. pic.twitter.com/k9ger3roof
-Udai Bhan (@incudaibhan) August 13, 2025
The BJP has appointed eight OBC district presidents, 5 Brahmins, 5 Punjavis, 4 Jats, two Rajputs, two Scheduled Castes (SCs), and one Bania, 4 ladies being included within the record. This numerous expression highlights the BJP’s technique of balancing caste equations whereas sustaining the attraction of a variety of caste.
For Congress, it was the primary instance of building a district group. The state established the state for the primary time in 11 years. When Ashok Tanwar was the chief of the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee from 2014 to 2019, or when Kumari Serja was on the helm from 2019 to April 2022, or the incumbent state president was appointed her.
Reducing management of JAT
Traditionally, the Congress is intentionally decreasing JAT management within the organizational construction, because it depends on the JAT vote, which accounts for round 25% of Haryana’s inhabitants.
Solely six JAT leaders are the six JAT leaders, together with Anirudh Chaudhry (Bhiwani Rural), Rishipal Singh (Jind), Mewa Singh (Kurukshetra), Ramesh Malik (Sonipat Rural), Sanjeev Kumar Dahiya and Parvala (Ambala Cant) who’ve been appointed as district presidents.
Even JAT hubs like Rohtak and Jhajjar have marked a departure from the get together’s JAT-centric politics, which has backfired within the 2024 elections with non-JAT leaders turning into district presidents.
Kushal Pal, a political analyst who’s principal at LADWA’s Indira Gandhi PG Faculty, mentioned on Monday that Congress seems to have discovered from the election errors.
“Earlier than the 2024 election, the BJP’s appointment of Nayab Saini as a business was presumed to polarize voters on the JAT vs. non-JAT line. Nevertheless, the Congress itself has become an election and non-JAT contest with the get together projecting Bhupinder Singh Hooda as the subsequent business in nearly each election,” PAL mentioned.
“The casteist feedback on Selja by Narnando parliamentary leaders who had been in battle with Huda’s loyalist Jassi Petwal, and Selja’s absence from subsequent campaigns have made the scenario worse. The brand new district’s president record reveals that the Congress is correcting these errors,” he mentioned.
Increasing attraction to the final minority
To develop its voter base, the Congress has appointed 9 non-JAT normal class leaders, together with three Punjavis, two Banias, two Rajputs and two Brahmins, concentrating on city and buying and selling communities.
Furthermore, 5 SC leaders and one Muslim chief have been appointed to strengthen the retention of Congress in Mewat and attraction to minority communities.
His companions identified that Dalits, historically parliamentary voters, had been drifting away from the get together. “With 5 presidents within the SC district in comparison with the 2 within the BJP, Congress is working collectively to regain Dalit assist,” he mentioned.
The appointment additionally displays the Parliament’s try to steadiness the interior factions, significantly between former Prime Ministers Bupinda Singh Huda and Kumari Serja.
Though the factions of Huda dominate the record, the Selja camps have secured vital places, significantly within the geographical areas alongside the Grand Trunk Highway or GT Belts (Panchkula, Ambala, Yamnanagar, Kurkushetra, Karnal and Panipat).
Of those, 5 leaders are housed every from the camps in Huda and Serja.
The Huda faction controls the countryside of Karnal, Kurkushetra and Panipat, and the appointment of Panipat City remains to be pending.
Classes beginning in 2024
Jyoti Mishra, an assistant professor of political science at Amity College in Mohali and a former researcher on the Centre for Analysis on Developmental Society (CSDS), informed the print that the parliament’s 2024 defeat stemmed from the depending on JAT management and the belief that JAT votes alone can be ample.
“In distinction, the BJP has constructed a working marketing campaign interesting to a variety of coalitions, fielding candidates and numerous caste teams.
She added that by appointing OBCs, Dalits, Brahmin, Punjavis and different non-JAT leaders, the Congress is informing of inclusiveness. “This technique not solely counters the notion that it’s a JAT-centric political get together, but in addition positions the Congress as linked to a broader social part. If sustained with constant outreach, this method may considerably strengthen the outlook for Congress in Haryana,” concluded Mishra.
(Edited by Ajet Tiwari)
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