Haryana Assembly Polls: Congress wrestles to make dent in BJP secure fort of Ahirwal through Ahir Regiment

With just two months left for the assembly polls in Haryana, the Congress party bolstered by its performance in the 2024 Lok sabha elections is trying to regain as much ground as possible against the incumbent BJP. The Congress party secured five out of 10 state seats in the Lok Sabha election and its vote share increased from 28.42 percent in 2019 to 43.67 percent.

Though Congress won and witnessed a rise in its vote share in the Jat heartland of the state, South Haryana also known as Ahirwal has troubled the party since 2014. Congress since 2014 failed to open its score in the Lok Sabha elections in the region. In the recently announced 2024 Lok Sabha election results, the party faced defeat in the Gurugram, Faridabad, and Bhiwani-Mahendargarh constituencies. 

Talking about the assembly elections, the Congress party improved its vote share from 20.58 percent in 2014 to 28.08 percent in 2019 but failed to make a comeback. The party performed well in the Jat heartland but faced stunning losses on 8 seats out of the total 11 of Ahirwal where it was in direct contest with the BJP. Congress secured only 2 seats in the region which includes Mahendargarh (represented by Rao Dan Singh who is on ED’s radar related to the alleged bank fraud scam) and Rewari represented by Chiranjeev Rao. 

Taking a cue from its bad performances, the Congress party is looking to regain the lost chunk of the region. Notably, the Rohtak seat which Deependra Hooda won in the Lok Sabha elections also includes the assembly seat of Kosli dominated by Yadavs and it plays an important role in deciding the winner of Rohtak. Now, the junior Hooda buoyed by his win from Rohtak has taken charge to revive the fortunes of his party in the region.

Hooda, after his impressive roadshow in Ahirwal, today raised the demand for the Ahir Regiment. Hooda, showing his support for the demand for Ahir Regiment, posted his application submitted in Parliament to raise this issue in zero hour, on X. He stated, ‘Valour of Yaduvanshis needs no introduction. Ahirs have been at the forefront of safeguarding the motherland since time immemorial. Be it attacks of Nadir Shah or Taimur, the Revolt of 1857, the War of Independence, the war against Pakistan, the Indo-China war, or the Kargil war, they have stood by the nation. Its high time we give them their due recognition. In zero hour, I want to demand the constitution of Ahir Regiment without any delay from the defence minister.’

Interestingly, Bhupinder Singh Hooda gave his support for the demand of the Ahir regiment when the demonstrations started after the COVID-19 pandemic in the state. Bhupinder Hooda also attacked the BJP during the support campaign in Rewari for his old friend Raj Babbar and said that the BJP had lost the right to seek the votes of the people of Ahirwal because it has broken the hopes of the youth by implementing schemes like Agniveer and rejecting the demand for Ahir Regiment. 

The Demand of Ahir Regiment 

The Indian Army has historically had a major influx of recruits from the Ahirwal region, which is home to Rao Tula Ram, the Ahir hero of the 1857 insurrection, and comprises the southern Haryana districts of Rewari, Mahendragarh, and Gurgaon. The strongest demand for the establishment of an Ahir Regiment has come from this region,  and people from the community repeatedly demonstrated at the Khedki Daula toll plaza in Gurugram.  Ahirs gained national recognition following the broad popularity of the tale of the valor displayed by the Ahir troops of Haryana during the 1962 Battle of Rezang La.

Although the troops blocked the enemy's advance to Chushul, the majority of the soldiers in C Company of the 13th Battalion of the Kumaon Regiment died fending against the Chinese onslaught. The community has long maintained that the Ahirs should not only be given two battalions in the Kumaon Regiment and a specific percentage in other regiments, but rather its own full-fledged Infantry Regiment. The demand for the Ahir regiment got a boost during the 50th anniversary of the 1962 War in 2012 when the tale of Rezang La was popularised by the community members. Political parties including Congress and others maintained their support for the demand of the Ahir regiment over the years and now Deepednra Hooda looking at the electoral prospects of the demand of the Ahir regiment has decided to raise the issue in the parliament.