Clout ebbed: Does Dera hold sway over voters?

Streets in Sirsa township were chock-a-block with hordes of devotees of the beleaguered Dera Sacha Sauda flocking the ashram to celebrate its foundation day a couple of days ago.

Sect’s colossal followers may have ebbed after the conviction of the Sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh by the CBI court for rape and murder, yet it is still too early to write off the Dera. Even with whatever remains of the influence commanded by the sect today, politicians in Haryana have shed their inhibition to seek votes from the Dera, despite all the blemish and ignominy surrounding it.

Congress candidate Ashok Tanwar attended the foundation day of the sect. Other leaders in poll fray too are seeking Dera votes. The sect’s political wing will announce its support anytime soon. This will be a test for the presumed sway Dera still holds over voters to determine the outcome of the elections. BJP district president Yatinder Singh maintains Sirsa is a “dharam nagri” (religious town) and the party will seek votes of all Sects.

Karan Chautala, the fourth generation of the Chautala family, maintains that Haryana lags in terms of representation in Central politics, which is why for his party INLD, it's now ‘Haryana first’.

When caste polarisation dominates the narrative, and voters like the followers of the Dera are likely to vote by a ‘herd mentality’ on a diktat by its political wing, real issues are overlooked by politicians.

The place is yet to be a cotton hub as promised by politicians. Bad roads, unemployment, women safety issues still worry people. They note that much of the development has been limited to Gurugram and Faridabad.