As campaigning wrapped up for the Haryana Assembly elections on October 5, the focus has turned to the crucial Grand Trunk (GT) Road belt, which could shape the electoral outcome in the state’s Jat heartland. This region, encompassing 29 seats across seven districts—Panchkula, Ambala, Kurukshetra, Yamunanagar, Karnal, Panipat, and Sonepat—has been a stronghold for the BJP in recent elections.
In the 2019 assembly polls, the BJP secured 14 of these 29 seats, with Congress winning 13, and the remaining two going to JJP and an independent candidate. In 2014, the BJP won 22 seats, while Congress only managed six. This year, both parties are locked in direct competition for all the seats in the region, with BJP relying on its support among the OBCs and non-Jat populations in these districts.
Throughout the campaign, the BJP deployed its top leadership, including Prime Minister Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath, to solidify their base. The BJP is banking on development projects in key commercial hubs like Ambala, Panipat, Karnal, Kurukshetra, and Sonepat to appeal to voters.
Meanwhile, Congress, led by Rahul Gandhi, has been working hard to challenge the BJP’s dominance in the region. Gandhi’s rallies in Naraingarh, Kurukshetra, and Sonepat have sought to energize the party’s base, while a significant boost came just two days before the polls, with former BJP leader and ex-Sirsa MP Ashok Tanwar rejoining Congress at a rally in Mahendragarh.
The elections will test whether BJP can retain its hold in the non-Jat-dominated GT Road belt or if Congress can turn the tide in its favor.
