On October 1, the ruling BJP in Haryana faced criticism from the opposition Congress and other parties when jailed Dera Sacha Sauda Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim was granted a 20-day parole, just four days before the state assembly elections.
Opponents accused the BJP of giving Ram Rahim, who has been convicted of rape and murder, this parole to gain his support during the elections. However, the election results showed that it wasn't just the BJP that benefited; Congress also had a good outcome.
In the 28 assembly segments where many Dera followers live, Congress won 15 seats, while the BJP won 10. The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) secured two seats, and one seat went to an Independent candidate. In these areas, Congress received 53.57% of the votes, compared to 35.71% for the BJP, 7% for INLD, and 3.57% for the Independent candidate. This might explain why most Haryana Congress leaders didn't speak out against the parole.
Overall, Congress gained more seats than the BJP in these 28 assembly constituencies across six districts: Fatehabad, Kaithal, Kurukshetra, Sirsa, Karnal, and Hisar.
Congress won in Fatehabad, Ratia, and Tohana (areas with a high concentration of Dera followers), as well as in Kalayat, Kaithal, Shahabad, Thanesar, Pehowa, Kalanwali, Sirsa, Ellenabad, Adampur, Uklana, and Narnaund.
On the other hand, the BJP won in Hansi, Barwala, Hisar, Nalwa, Asandh, Gharonda, Karnal, Indri, Nilokheri, Ladwa, and Pundri. The INLD won in Dabwali and Rania, while Independent candidate Savitri Jindal won in Hisar.
Political influence of Dera Sacha Sauda
Dera Sacha Sauda is a religious sect that has a strong political influence and operates a political wing led by Gurmeet Ram Rahim. The sect has supported various political parties in the past, including the Shiromani Akali Dal, BJP, and Congress.
In the 2007 Punjab Assembly elections, the Dera backed the Congress party. However, in 2014, it supported the BJP in both Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. In 2015, the Dera openly backed the BJP again during the Delhi and Bihar elections, with around 3,000 followers campaigning for the party in Bihar.
The Dera's political power comes from its large follower base, which includes many lower-caste individuals, particularly Dalits like Majhabi Sikhs (converted Sikhs).
Political analysts point out that while upper-caste votes in Haryana are often divided between the Congress and BJP, lower-caste Dera followers usually vote according to their leader's instructions.
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