Lok Sabha elections: Deswali belt holds key in Haryana's multi-corner contest
The Hindu
Chandigarh's Deswali belt in Haryana is crucial for parties in the upcoming multi-corner Lok Sabha elections.
The Deswali belt in politically-significant Haryana is key for parties in what is going to be a multi-corner contest in the Lok Sabha elections.
Traditionally a stronghold of the Congress, the State's ruling BJP has been making efforts over the years to weaken the grand old party's grip in the Jat-dominated region that comprises the Rohtak and the Sonipat Lok Sabha constituencies.
In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP won seven Lok Sabha seats it had contested, losing only in Rohtak. The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) had won two seats while the Congress won from Rohtak.
After failing to break the Congress' grip on Rohtak at that time, the BJP stepped up its activities in the region in a bid to weaken the Hooda family stronghold and the Congress.
The BJP's State headquarters is also based in Rohtak.
In the 2019 general elections, the BJP swept Haryana, winning all 10 seats and smashing what were considered as "bastions" of prominent political families.
