Fierce Battle for Haryana Assembly Polls: Parties Woo Dalits While Voters Scramble for Crucial Papers
Haryana Assembly Elections: SC Voters Caught in Welfare Scheme Woes
Gurdeep Lal, a 39-year-old grocery store owner from the Baazigar community in Chapra, Haryana, has felt the frustration many Scheduled Caste (SC) voters share. Despite being enrolled in a welfare program since 2015, which promises financial support for various needs like weddings and funeral expenses, Lal has found it impossible to access these benefits. The bureaucratic hurdles were simply too high.
As Haryana heads to the polls, the Baazigar community and other SC voters are a battleground for the major political parties. Financial supports like ₹51,000 for wedding expenses and ₹3,000 for a bicycle remain out of reach due to cumbersome paperwork, rendering these promises effectively useless. Lal’s sentiment is echoed by many in his community.
Across Karnal district, Randhir Leelaram, 65, from the Chamar community, shares similar grievances. Faced with exorbitant electricity bills and endless bureaucratic runarounds, he feels neglected regardless of which party is in power, although he credits the Congress with doing more for SC communities in the past decade.
The scuffle for SC votes is critical; reserved seats often determine the election’s outcome. The Congress hopes to maintain its momentum, having won significant Lok Sabha seats earlier this year. However, the BJP is aggressively labeling the Congress as anti-Dalit, vying to undermine their opposition.
Against this backdrop, alliances are forming, aimed at splintering the Dalit vote. The Congress, BSP, and newly formed alliances like the JJP and ASP complicate the SC political landscape. Still, village leaders like Ram Jawari insist on change rather than maintaining the status quo.
As polling day approaches, the struggle of SC voters to obtain due benefits keeps resonating amidst the election promises. The narrative here is clear: meaningful change and accessibility to welfare are still a distant promise.
Published – September 27, 2024, 08:07 pm IST
Original Story https://www.thehindu.com/elections/haryana-assembly/haryana-assembly-polls-parties-chase-dalits-voters-chase-papers/article68690132.ece
Category : Haryana Assembly
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