Bhiwani Assembly Constituency with about 2.35 lakh voters is likely to see a close contest between two high-profile candidates in the Assembly election on October 5. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Candidate Ghanshyam Dass Saraf and Congress-backed Communist Party of India- Marxist (CPI-M) Candidate Om Prakash are the key candidates contested in Bhiwani Constituency along with many other independent candidates.

Actor-turned-politician Raj Babbar, who was a Congress candidate from Gurugram in the recent Lok Sabha elections, recently held a roadshow in support of Om Prakash. Former Haryana Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda also held a rally in support of the CPI (M) candidate in Bhiwani. Over the last two weeks, many senior BJP leaders including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini and other Union Ministers had conducted public meetings in the favour of BJP candidate Saraf.

Bhiwani, which covers the entire Bhiwani city and its surrounding villages, falls under the Bhiwani-Mahendragarh Lok Sabha Constituency. Bhiwani is renowned for its traditional boxing school, which has produced nearly all the members of the Indian boxing team through the Sports Authority of India (SAI) hostel. Late Captain Hawa Singh, a legendary boxer, played a significant role in establishing the boxing academy in Bhiwani. Bhiwani has been in the limelight for the spectacular performance of its boxers in 2008 Olympics. Bhiwani, which has been also known for its educational institutes, is also a hub for regional politics. It is the hometown of three former Chief Ministers of Haryana: Bansi Lal, Banarsi Das Gupta, and Hukum Singh.  The seat has mostly elected a Bania MLA, though former Chief Minister Bansi Lal also won from here in 2000. Dominated by the Bania community, the seat has never been a citadel of INLD.

In the 2019 Assembly election, Ghanshyam Saraf of the BJP won the seat by defeating Shiv Shanker Bhardwaj of the Jannayak Janta Party with a margin of 27884 votes as Congress candidate stood at third position. In the 2014 Assembly Election, BJP’s Ghanshyam Saraf won the election. 

CPI-M Candidate Om Prakash took voluntary retirement from his position as chief manager at UCO Bank in 2014, with six years of service left. During the farmers' protest in Haryana - from 2020 to 2021 - he played a key role in closing the Kitlana toll plaza and hosted a public meeting with BKU leader Rakesh Tikait. A champion of people, he has advocated for employees, MGNREGA workers, and those in the mining sector, leading to multiple arrests. He has led several movements over the issue of civic amenities and law and order apart from participating in the agitation of farmers and labourers in Bhiwani.

In the 2019 Assembly poll, the CPI-M had contested seven seats, but lost deposit in all, garnering just 0.07 per cent of the votes - less than NOTA. In 2014, it contested 17 seats and received 0.13 per cent, again trailing behind NOTA.  This time, CPI-M workers from across the State have flocked to Bhiwani to bolster Om Prakash's campaign. At his office, flags of both Congress and CPM wave alongside a portrait of martyr Bhagat Singh. His supporters chant "Inquilab Zindabad" to greet him as he makes a point to shake hands with everyone. Coming to his (Om Prakash) aid, the Congress-Left alliance is working at full throttle for this seat. They are ensuring that voters in the constituency are acquainted with his party's poll symbol.

Caste may play a key role in Haryana elections but Om Prakash said that as a Communist, he does not believe in casteism. Talking to reporters, Om Prakash said, "I chose this seat because the party has a stronger organisation here. I am not a man of a particular caste but a person of 36 biradari (communities). Now, they are standing by me like a rock…solid."

Om Prakash further said, "Our poll symbol is 'hammer, sickle and star'. The people are fighting against the menace of corruption, the loot and the communalism and divisive politics. An anti-incumbency sentiment against the ruling BJP remains strong because of unemployment, lack of development. The party and the Congress have decided to field me here because they want me to be in the Assembly as Bhiwani's people also want their voice to be heard."

An active social worker and head of various educational institutes, BJP candidate Saraf was earlier an active member of Vishva Hindu Parishad. Though, he lost the election in 2005, he won the assembly election in 2014 and 2019. Saraf, who is known for his care and service for cows, has strengthened the BJP in rural parts of the constituency.  Talking to reporters Saraf said, “Whatever the people of Bhiwani demanded for the area, the BJP government has given it, be it a university, medical college, roads or other developmental works.” The BJP candidate further said, "I don't see any competition. People are aware of the CPI-M. Their government in West Bengal forced industries to shut down."

As per reports, there are 2.35 lakh voters in Bhiwani constituency. About 40,000 voters belong to the Scheduled Caste and Other Backward Class communities while about 30,000 voters from the Brahmin, Rajput, Jat and Punjabi communities and around 13,000 Bania (Agarwal) voters, and 6,000 Muslim voters.

Political Observers opined that it is the first time that the CPI (M) is contesting an Assembly election in the state in alliance with the Congress. If the caste factor works, it would not work against Om Prakash because of the presence of Independent candidates from different castes. Om Prakash hails from the Jat community while Saraf belongs to the Bania (Agarwal) community. BJP rebel and Independent candidate Priya Asija, a Punjabi, and AAP candidate Indu Sharma, a Brahmin, may get considerable votes from their communities. Former State Minister and former Bhiwani MLA Thakur Bir Singh's grandson Abhijit Rajput was expecting a Congress ticket this time but when the seat was given to the CPI (M), he turned rebel and decided to contest the election as an Independent. He is eyeing sizable votes from the Rajput community. Jats are not voting for the BJP. Brahmins prefer Indu Sharma (AAP candidate), Rajputs will support Abhijeet Singh, and Sainis will vote for the BJP. It will be interesting to see how voters exercise their vote this time, Observers added.