As all the major political parties -- Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) and Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) have fielded members of the Jat Community as their candidates in Hisar Lok Sabha Parliamentary Constituency, the non- jat votes are likely to shape the outcome of the Lok Sabha elections this time. In the Hisar Lok Sabha constituency, Jats comprise about 33 percent of the voters, and a member of the community has been elected MP on eight occasions. To consolidate support among Jat Community voters, the Congress party has fielded former Union Minister Jai Prakash as its candidate while BJP has put former Haryana Minister Ranjit Singh Chautala. Chautala won the 2019 Assembly elections as an Independent from Rania constituency in Sirsa district and extended support to the BJP-led government in the state. Later, he joined BJP and he was picked by the party over other aspirants, including former Hisar MP and senior BJP leader Kuldeep Bishnoi. In 1998, Ranjit Singh had fought from Hisar on a Congress ticket, but he came in fourth. Former Union minister Jai Parkash has been elected as an MP thrice from the seat. However, every time Jai Parkash has won, he has contested on the ticket of a different party — for the Janata Dal in 1989, Haryana Vikas Party in 1996, and Congress in 2004. Jai Parkash served as a Union Deputy Minister of Petroleum from November 1990 to June 1991. He contested six elections and one by-election from Hisar. He, however, lost his security deposit in the bypoll, which was held in 2011. The INLD has fielded its women wing leader Sunaina Chautala from Hisar. INLD Women Wing general secretary Sunaina is the wife of Abhay Chautalas cousin Ravi Chautala. Ravi is the son of INLD supremo Om Prakash Chautalas younger brother late Partap Singh Chautala. From Hisar, the JJP has fielded Naina Chautala, who is currently the MLA from Badhra in Charkhi Dadri district. Naina is the mother of former Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala and wife of JJP president Ajay Singh Chautala. Historically, Hisar Lok Sabha constituency is known as the epicenter of strong caste polarization in the politics of Haryana. The Parliamentary seat has become the epicenter of Jats versus non-Jat politics in recent years. As per the available data, the Jat dominated Hisar Lok Sabha constituency has 17.85 lakh voters, including over 500,000 Jat (33%), over 70,000 Prajapati/Kumhar, over 180,000 Brahmins, 65,000 Punjabis,, over 36,000 Bishnois, and the rest 400,000 are of various Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes. This constituency covers the entire Hisar district and parts of Jind and Bhiwani districts and has nine assembly segments including Adampur, Uklana SC, Narnaund, Hansi, Barwala, Hisar, Nalwa, Uchana Kalan and Bawani Khera (SC). In the 2019 Lok Sabha Election, Brijendra Singh of the BJP won with 599,951 votes. The runner up was Dushyant Chautala of JJP. The margin of victory was around three lakh votes. In the 2014 Lok Sabha election, Dushyant Chautala of INLD party won with 4,94,213 votes. The runner-up was Kuldeep Bishnoi of HJCBL party. The margin of victory was around 30,000 votes. The sitting MP Brijender Singh has joined Congress but he was not given a ticket by the party. Additionally, of the 16 Lok Sabha elections and one by-poll in Hisa since 1952, no one party has been able to keep the parliamentary seat as a stronghold —Congress has won it seven times, Janata Dal thrice, INLD and HJC twice each, and Haryana Lok Dal, Haryana Vikas Party and Samyukta Socialist Party once each. Though the Congress has won the highest number of times from Hisar, it has not found favour with people of the constituency since 2004. As far as political history of this constituency is concerned, the family of three-time CM Bhajan Lal holds sway over Hisar. Bhajan Lal himself fought from the seat on a ticket of Haryana Janhit Congress in 2009 and won, and Kuldeep Bishnoi, after the former CMs death, fought the 2011 byelection from the seat and emerged victorious. The Chautala family of INLD is also popular among the voters of Hisar. However, in 1984, INLD supremo Om Prakash Chautala, as a candidate of the Lok Dal Party, lost to Birender Singh, who fought on a Congress ticket at the time. Chautalas grandson Dushyant, who is the present MP, won his maiden contest from the seat in 2014. Aged 25 at the time he was elected, Dushyant, with the win, became the youngest-ever MP in Parliament. Hisar Lok Sabha seat, represented by freedom fighters Lala Achint Ram and Thakur Das Bhargava in 1952 and 1957, respectively, in the Lok Sabha, is a crucial seat due to caste polarisation of the electorate over the years. The seat has elected stalwarts like Mani Ram Bagri, Birender Singh, Bhajan Lal and Jai Prakash, who made their mark in the state and national political scene. Prominent socialist leader Mani Ram Bagri represented this segment in 1962 and 1980. However, the Hisar seat has witnessed polarisation of caste politics in Jat and non-Jat segments, which does not bode well for the area. This emphasis on caste dynamics is evident in candidate selection for 2024 general elections, where parties prioritize fielding candidates from specific communities to maintain caste-based equations. All political parties acknowledge that a formula combining Jat, SC, OBC, and other votes could be a winning strategy, shaping their candidate selection and campaign strategies around these caste considerations.  

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