CONGRESS FACES LITMUS TEST IN HARYANA OVER CASTE POLITICS

The caste equation and politics over caste has always been a trump card for any political party.

- AJIT MAINDOLA

Sometimes it becomes the trump card while at other times it also becomes the achilies heel. This time Congress was able to play well using this caste card in Lok Sabha elections. It can be said that caste card also attributed to victory over 99 seats.

However, the true challenge for Congress, which highlighted caste politics during the Lok Sabha elections, now lies ahead in the Haryana elections. In Haryana, all political parties are emphasizing social engineering. Learning from the Lok Sabha election outcomes, BJP has strategically focused on social engineering, assigning key responsibilities to leaders from the Jat, Brahmin, Gujjar, and OBC communities to secure a third consecutive term in government. In contrast, Congress appears to be prioritizing a formula centered around Jats and Dalits.