Julana Assembly constituency in Haryana is all set to witness a politically loaded election battle as the Bharatiya Janata Party pitted former army officer Captain Yogesh Bairagi against Congress candidate and former Olympian Vinesh Phogat. The JJP, the former ally of the BJP, has fielded the sitting MLA Amarjeet Dhanda from the seat at a time when the party is facing an existential threat amid a high-profile battle. The crisis, notably, became obvious when the saffron party ended its alliance with the JJP ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

During the recently Lok Sabha elections, the JJP’s decline became noticeable when the party’s vote share plummeted to a mere 0.87%, down from the 14.84% it achieved in the October 2019 assembly elections, painting a picture of the potential question over the party’s relevance in a now Congress and BJP-dominated political landscape.

Read Also: BJP’s 2nd List Of Candidates For Haryana Poll: Yogesh Bairagi Pitted Against Vinesh Phogat

As the former gold medalist Vinesh Phogat, who joined the Congress earlier this month, has already begun campaigning with an added vigor, the BJP in its second list named an ex-army officer and a former commercial pilot, Captain Yogesh Bairagi, who entered politics after being inspired by Prime Minister Modi seven years ago. Served as a captain in the Indian Army for nine years before transitioning to a career in aviation and subsequently politics, Bairagi is actively involved in the BJP’s organizational structure, holding roles such as state vice president of the BJP youth wing, state co-convener of the sports cell, and member of the state executive committee of the youth wing in Haryana.

Though the BJP’s selection of Bairagi is claimed to appeal the backward communities’ votes banks from the Julana, the Congress’s picking of Phogat for the Jat-majority constituency is analysed as a strategic attempt to secure votes of the Jats with approximately 81,000 voters from the community. The Jats are majorly farmers who are already enraged against the BJP over the demand for a legal guarantee of a Minimum Support Price (MSP), giving the grand old party to consolidate votes with the former Olympian. In addition, the popularity of Phogat among youths, women, and farmers could boost Congress’ chances further.

The AAP, which had planned an alliance with Congress earlier has now decided to fight alone, and the party can also woo a significant vote share if it fields candidate from Julana.

Read Also: AAP Releases Second List For Haryana Polls