General VK Singh vs Lt General? The battle for Jhunjhunu heats up

Never before in the history of India have two Generals of the army fought in public with each other. But, if the battle script unfolds on expected lines, a bitter duel between two former army officers could become a reality in Rajasthan. Lt General Raj Kadyan, a former deputy chief of army staff, is the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate from Jhunjhunu. His adversary could be former army chief General VK Singh, whose name the state BJP has proposed as its candidate for the constituency. If an imminent General vs General contest isn’t enough gunpowder for the Lok Sabha war, many other battles within the battle promise to turn Jhunjhunu into the Kurukshetra of the 2014 Mahabharata. [caption id=“attachment_1414127” align=“alignnone” width=“380”]  Can VK Singh capitalise on the Modi wave? PTI[/caption] One, Kadyan is a known critic of Singh’s. Both have had a history of fighting many verbal battles over the past few years, especially when Singh was accused of financing a secret intelligence unit in the army. So, there is more at stake than just a Lok Sabha seat. Two, both come from communities considered inimical to each other in the heart of Rajasthan. Kadyan is a posterboy of the Jat community, whose numbers dominate Jhunjhunu. Singh is a Thakur, the traditional rulers of the Shekhawati area comprising the desert districts of Jhunjhunu, Sikar and Churu. Jats and Rajputs have traditionally been on the opposite side of the social and political divide in the area and their rivalry has been both bitter and brutal. Three, Jhunjhunu is a catchment area for the Indian army. Most of the families in the area have either a soldier in the army or somebody who retired from it. Loyalty to the army runs in the veins of Jhunjhunu. Kadyan began his campaign in Jhunjhunu when his name was announced by the AAP a few days ago. His reputation of a sophisticated soldier with an impeccable track record, the tag of being an ‘achiever’ from the majority Jat community and his years of association with the welfare of ex-soldiers has given him a headstart in the constituency. The only thing that is hurting him is the tag of an outsider. Singh’s name is yet to be announced. But the state BJP wants him to contest from this seat or the one abutting it. It has shortlisted his name and forwarded it to the high command. The BJP, according to reports, was earlier insisting that Singh contest from Haryana. But the General backed out citing the large number of Jat voters in the region. The Jat vote may still hurt Singh in Jhunjhunu. But he may not be worried too much about it because of the Congress, which is likely to field the daughter-in-law of Jat heavyweight and former minister Sis Ram Ola who died recently. In case the Ola family contests, a two-way split in the Jat vote would help Singh. The former army chief too is an outsider—he was born in Haryana. But Singh went to a public school in Pilani, which is part of Jhunjhunu, and can thus stake claim to the local legacy. Add to this the Modi wave and Singh seems have the edge over his rivals. But Jhunjhunu is a tricky constituency. Its voters have had a history of favouring the underdog and rebelling against the powerful. The Jats of the region are known more for their Leftist leanings and a hint of antipathy towards right-wing politics. If there is one constituency that is likely to support the AAP brand of politics, it is Jhunjhunu. So, the battle looks engrossing. Two Generals and an aam aurat; a constituency tailor-made for the AAP and a wave meant to take the BJP to power; a local Jat vs an outsider Jat vs a half-local Jat; even a specialist couldn’t have come up with a better war game.