Ram Rahim’s Impact on Haryana Election Results: What Happened?

The influence of Gurmeet Ram Rahim was evident in the Haryana election results, following his 15th parole. This parole, granted four days before the state assembly elections, sparked significant criticism. Opposition parties, including Congress, accused the BJP of using the Dera Sacha Sauda leader’s support to sway votes.

However, the election results revealed that it wasn’t just the BJP benefiting from this move, but also the Congress. Out of the 28 assembly constituencies with a strong Dera follower base, Congress won 15 seats, BJP secured 10, Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) claimed 2, and an Independent candidate won 1.

In these constituencies, Congress captured 53.57% of the votes, BJP received 35.71%, INLD garnered 7%, and the Independent candidate won 3.57%. This might explain why most Haryana Congress leaders remained silent on the issue of parole.

Congress outperformed BJP in these 28 constituencies, which span across six districts in Haryana: Fatehabad, Kaithal, Kurukshetra, Sirsa, Karnal, and Hisar.

The Congress won in Fatehabad, Ratia, Tohana (which have the highest concentration of Dera followers), Kalayat, Kaithal, Shahabad, Thanesar, Pehowa, Kalanwali, Sirsa, Ellenabad, Adampur, Uklana, and Narnaund. Meanwhile, the BJP secured Hansi, Barwala, Hisar, Nalwa, Asandh, Gharonda, Karnal, Indri, Nilokheri, Ladwa, and Pundri.

INLD claimed victories in Dabwali and Rania, while Independent candidate Savitri Jindal won Hisar.

Dera’s Support for BJP: According to sources, on October 3, Gurmeet Ram Rahim directed Dera officials in Sirsa to vote for the BJP. Media reports suggest that this message was conveyed during a Satsang (religious gathering), where followers were instructed to bring at least five voters to the polling booth.

It remains unclear whether Gurmeet Ram Rahim hosted this Satsang virtually, as the Election Commission had banned him from campaigning or holding Satsangs online.

Dera sources estimate that the sect’s follower base is around 1.25 crore, with 21 out of its 38 branches located in Haryana.

Political Influence of Dera Sacha Sauda: Despite being a religious sect, Dera Sacha Sauda holds significant political sway. It operates a political wing led by Gurmeet Ram Rahim and has supported political parties such as the Shiromani Akali Dal, BJP, and Congress in the past.

In the 2007 Punjab Assembly elections, Dera supported Congress. In 2014, it backed the BJP in both the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. In 2015, Dera openly supported the BJP in Delhi and Bihar elections, with around 3,000 followers campaigning for the party in Bihar.

Dera’s political influence largely stems from its vast lower-caste follower base, which includes many Dalits, such as Majhabi Sikhs (converted Sikhs).

Political analysts suggest that while upper-caste votes in Haryana are often split between Congress and BJP, lower-caste Dera followers typically vote according to their leader’s directives.

Aakhir Tak Editor-in-Chief

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