New Delhi. Haryana Assembly Elections 2024 is going to be special in many ways. The Supreme Court’s decision to give jobs through quota within quota in SC-ST and lateral entry in central government ministries will be widely discussed. However, on Tuesday, jobs through lateral entry have been banned. But, it is difficult to say for how long the ban will remain. Let us tell you that the controversy of quota within quota in SC-ST had not yet subsided that UPSC for the third time issued an advertisement for 45 posts for Joint Secretary, Director and Deputy Secretary level officers in several ministries and departments of the Government of India. As soon as this advertisement was released, opposition parties, especially Congress, have started accusing BJP of changing the Constitution by taking away reservation. After the notification of Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections, this matter has gained more momentum.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Rae Bareli MP Rahul Gandhi as well as SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, BSP chief Mayawati have also started opposing lateral entry i.e. direct recruitment in many departments of the Government of India. Many leaders are accusing the BJP of ending reservation. Surprisingly, Chirag Paswan, who is a part of the Modi cabinet, also came out in protest against it. However, the central government has put both the cases on hold for now. But, will these two issues prove to be a boon for the Congress and other opposition parties in the upcoming assembly elections of 4 states? Or a game changer for the BJP?
Why is Haryana Assembly going to be special?
While the opposition parties are linking lateral entry with the intention of ending reservation, BJP says that this is a system that has been in place since the time of Congress. In such a situation, the question arises whether the issue of lateral entry and quota within quota in SC will prevent BJP from forming government for the third time in Haryana? Will the Congress party end its 10-year exile in Haryana by raising this issue? Or will raising this issue also benefit Aam Aadmi Party, Janta Jannayak Party and Indian National Lok Dal?
What does the caste equation of Haryana say
Senior journalist Sanjeev Pandey, who knows Haryana politics closely, says, ‘Look, Haryana has a Dalit population of about 21 percent. Jats are about 23 percent and Punjabi voters are 8 percent. Brahmins are about 7.5 percent, Ahirs are 5.14 percent, Vaishyas are 5 percent and Jat Sikhs are 4 percent. Meos and Muslims are around 4 percent. Rajputs in Haryana are about 3.5 percent and Gurjars are also about the same. In such a situation, all the parties have started caste politics in Haryana. As a result of this, Congress has also started raising the issue of reservation to woo Dalit voters. This will dent the Dalit vote bank. If the Dalit section along with Ahirs, Jats and Muslims come with the Congress, then it may be a little difficult for the BJP to win the election. This situation has already happened in the Lok Sabha elections.’
Pandey further says, Congress won both the reserved seats of Haryana in the Lok Sabha elections. BJP was also behind Congress on 17 reserved seats of the Assembly. But, BJP has played a master stroke. BJP’s eyes are on the 52 percent deprived population in SC. Recently, Haryana Cabinet has decided to classify SC to bring 36 castes out of SC castes in its fold. On August 17, Haryana Cabinet has decided to give 50 percent reservation in the 20 percent quota of these deprived castes of SC. The main reason for this decision is that the population of these 36 deprived castes in Haryana is 52.40 percent in the total population of SC. This decision has been taken when the Election Commission’s code of conduct has come into force.
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The election results of Haryana Assembly will not only affect the assembly elections of Haryana but also other states of the country. It will not be limited to the upcoming assembly elections of Maharashtra and Jharkhand. Rather, it will also decide in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections whether Modi will become the Prime Minister or Rahul Gandhi? If the experiment of quota within quota among SC castes in Haryana is successful, then BJP will implement it in the whole country and make inroads by dividing the Dalit vote bank. At the same time, opposition parties including Congress, who talk of ending the Constitution on the pretext of reservation, will start looking for a new issue in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.
Tags: Haryana election 2024, Haryana news
FIRST PUBLISHED : August 20, 2024, 16:07 IST
