Jakhar: Feeling good

Churu, May 2: The mercury was touching the 47-degree mark in this corner of north Rajasthan. Most of the gathered men were wiping rivulets of sweat that trickled down from their brightly turbaned heads. But the speaker, in his 70s, was not bothered about the killing heat; he was wiping tears from red, swollen eyes.

Is India shining as the BJP wants voters to believe, Congress candidate from Churu Lok Sabha seat Balram Jakhar asked, clearing his foggy spectacles.

If you think this is melodrama worse than a flop Bollywood tearjerker, think again. The villagers of Bidasar in Sridugargarh bloc of Churu are convinced the former Union agriculture minister is shedding tears out of genuine concern for the plight of farmers.

Churu, in Bikaner district, is the third of Jakhar’s adopted Jat-majority constituencies in Rajasthan and a territory unknown to him even a month ago. After his defeat five years ago at Sikar, he did not dare contest again from the constituency, which had elected him twice in 1984 and 1991.

Jakhar hopped over to adjacent Churu with a bitter lesson — he knows he can no longer take Jat support for granted. At over 22 per cent of the total electorate in Churu, Jats can make or mar his chances of returning to the Lok Sabha and the ageing Jat leader from Punjab is appealing to his fellow community members for their sympathy and support.

“Maybe this is my last elections. Who knows whether I will be there for the next election,” he tells the Bidasar villagers, appealing to them to elect him one last time to the Lok Sabha. As he travels from one village to another, he is very particular about adhering to local culture and tradition. He makes it a point to fall at the feet of rural elders to seek their ashirwad. The villagers like it.

Jakhar seems to be succeeding in his emotional appeal. In less than three weeks of campaigning in Churu, he has emerged as the tallest Jat leader. The May 5 polls in Churu have shaped into a “bada Jat versus chhota Jat” contest — Jakhar, the bada Jat, and Ramsingh Kaswan, the sitting BJP MP, the chhota Jat.

With Jakhar going all out to win over the Jats, it is difficult to make out that he is the Congress candidate. Except for the party symbol and the flag, there is not much evidence of his party affiliation. Any which way one looks, Jakhar is staring down. There’s no Sonia Gandhi or any other national party leader. Nor is Jakhar bothering to use Congress slogans and other campaign themes.

Barring his friend and Maharashtra chief minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, Jakhar has also not called any national or state leader to campaign for him.

The individualistic approach is dictated by the Congress’ December Assembly election disaster. The Jats, who traditionally identified with the Congress, voted overwhelmingly against the party.

But emerging ground reality suggests Jakhar might not have gauged the mood correctly. Known for their volatile voting behaviour, Jats are perceived to be leaning back towards the Congress.

Kaswan is nervous. The “bada Jat” tag that Jakhar has earned in the past fortnight is hurting him. Kaswan and the BJP’s attempts to project Jakhar as an “outsider” don’t seem to have cut ice with the Jat voters. The exit poll projections after the second phase of elections have added to a “feel good” mood in the Jakhar camp.

“Hamein exit poll ka bhi fayda mil raha hai,” said Sukhdeo Singh Jakhar, one of the several hundred Jakhar followers from Punjab camping here.

Jakhar is already smiling. He is thanking the stars that he is not in the contest from Bikaner from where he entered the Lok Sabha in 1998. He had originally lobbied for the seat.

“Bada saab has a far better chance of defeating Kaswan in Churu than defeating yesteryear Bollywood star Dharmendra in Bikaner,” reasoned one of his followers.