Battle of the Bastions: Will champion athlete Jhajharia retain Churu for BJP?

New Delhi

Churu, the gateway to India's Thar desert in the northern state of Rajasthan, has been a stronghold for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party for decades, having secured it for 30 years straight.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 5 called upon a packed gathering of thousands as he urged the inhabitants of Rajasthan's Shekhawati region, over 270 km west of New Delhi, to choose 'Lotus' symbol on Electronic Voting Machines on April 19. 

"Dilli se Narendra, Devendra ke liye ashirvad maangne aaya hai (From Delhi, Narendra has come to ask for blessings for Devendra)," Modi said, referring to the BJP's Lok Sabha candidate from Churu, Devendra Jhajharia, the first Indian para athlete to win two gold medals at the Paralympics.

"Aur jab Narendra Devendra ke liye aashirwaad maangta hai, toh aap log chhappar phaad ke de dete hain. (When Narendra asks for blessings for Devendra, you give it out wholeheartedly)," Modi added, with the crowd roaring in affirmation. 

But mired in caste loyalties, there is much more to Churu's politics beyond Modi's popularity. 

For starters, Rahul Kaswan, Churu's serving Member of Parliament for two terms since 2014 — and son of four-time BJP Churu MP Ramsingh Kaswan — switched sides from the BJP to Congress when he was denied ticket for re-election bid in March.

Ramsingh Kaswan, BJP Churu MP (1991-1996; 1999-2004; 2004-2009 and 2009-14) and his son Rahul Kaswan, BJP Churu MP (2014-2019; 2019-2024)

"After all, what was my crime?," Kaswan wrote in an emotional post on X on March 4, 2024, two days after the BJP released its list of candidates for upcoming Lok Sabha elections, and named Jhajharia as its Churu candidate.

Rahul Kaswan with Congress president Mallikarjun Khadge | X/@RahulKaswanMP

Kaswan's aides later accused influential BJP Rajput leader Rajendra Singh Rathore of playing a crucial role in the party's decision to drop his name. Rathore, a seven-time Member of Rajasthan's Legislative Assembly and former leader of opposition in the state, also holds significant sway in the Shekhawati region.

With Rahul Kaswan as its candidate, the Congress party is hopeful that it stands a chance in Churu.

With over two million voters, about 600,000-strong Jat community holds significant influence in Churu. Kaswan has appealed community's purported disenchantment that one of their own was denied ticket by the BJP.

But for what it's worth, Jhajharia's paralympic accolades are adding to the fact that he too is the member of Jat community. Out in the April heat of Churu, his is a face that youngsters recognise and old-aged are quick to get hold of after a moment of description of his medal-winning moments by the youngsters accompanying them.

Devendra Jhajharia during election campaign in Churu | X/Devendra Jhajharia

Kaswan too is a familiar political face with an undeniable sway in the region. His father, Ramsingh Kaswan, was a prominent political figure from the Jat community who joined the BJP in 1991. As a Member of Parliament (MP) for five terms until 2014, Rahul succeeded his father as Churu MP from BJP in 2014, and extended BJP's vote share beyond 60 per cent of total votes polled in 2019.    

"The two Jat candidates are contesting in Churu. Kaswan has played it clever by making this election a Jat Vs Rajput issue," said an insider with information related to the political workings of Churu on the condition anonymity. 

"PM Modi knows this issue and that's why he said from the stage what he said about Devendra's background and Paralympic accolades," the insider added while referring to Modi's April 5 Churu rally. 

Referring to the caste arithmetic, the insider said that the outcome would be determined if the Jat vote en bloc for either candidate, or if the community's vote is divided between the two. 

"If Jat votes got divided between two candidates, the BJP will win this seat. If Jats decide to vote for the Rahul Kaswan one-sided, BJP will lose this seat," the insider added.

But under Modi, the BJP has attempted to break the caste arithmetic by wooing the women voters. His signature welfare populism — including housing scheme for the underprivileged and cooking gas connection for poor households — are all aimed at purportedly ensuring women's ownership of housing as well as the access to basic necessities.

In PM Modi's political rallies, the women-centric characteristics of central welfare schemes of his government are central to his political messaging, a theme he repeated on April 5 in Churu. Riding on this acumen, the BJP is hopeful that it will be able to establish the constituency as the stronghold of the party and not just the Kaswans.

Churu is scheduled to vote on April 19. The counting of votes will be held on June 4, 2024.