In Rajasthan’s Shekhawati region, Congress hopes to upset BJP with Jat anger

“EACH ONE is unique” reads the title of Chapter 2 of the Class 4 English textbook of Rajasthan Board of Secondary Education. Along with a person’s story, it has his photo in action – his left amputated arm in the front and the right arm holding a javelin.

While the chapter has been part of the syllabus for a few years now, the person in this story, Padma Bhushan Devendra Jhajharia, is the BJP’s Lok Sabha candidate from his hometown Churu in Rajasthan this time.

At his Churu rally earlier this month, PM Narendra Modi said Jhajharia’s candidature symbolises that the country remembers its players, and incentivizes them. Mentioning “very close old ties” with Jhajharia, he said, “Churu mein Devendra, aur Dilli mein Narendra.” Behind Modi’s statement were political exigencies which forced the BJP to put the spotlight back on Jhajharia. The dominant Jat community here has had plenty of reasons to be unhappy with the BJP.

Among the reasons: denying the community the CM and deputy CM posts; non-inclusion of Jats in Central OBC list; dissatisfaction over Agnipath scheme; treatment of women wrestlers and non-action against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh; sidelining of “Jat ki bahu” Vasundhara Raje; and removal of Satish Poonia as BJP state president. However, the last nail in the proverbial coffin appeared to be denial of party ticket to sitting BJP MP Rahul Kaswan, a Jat, allegedly at the behest of BJP veteran and seven-term MLA Rajendra Rathore, a Rajput.

Kaswan wasted no time in quitting the BJP to join the Congress, which fielded him from Churu. In his campaign, Kaswan has kept his guns trained at Rathore. Rathore has hit back, turning the Churu fight into a Jat vs Rajput contest.

Hoping to reap most from the situation, the Congress has