Narnaund: Nearly 160 kilometres away from the high rises of Gurgaon lies Narnaund, a relatively lesser developed region of Haryana. While it promises to be an emerging city due to its proximity to Gurgaon, it still lacks even the most basic amenities for its inhabitants.
Like many areas of Haryana, Narnaund, too, faces an acute shortage of electricity and water. "The situation has improved now. We get electricity for three hours during the day in our houses though we get eight hours of electricity for irrigation," says a resident Karan Singh.
In an attempt to convince that Narnaund is on the right path of development, Singh said that they also have phone lines and internet connections in the village now. "That too 3G," another beaming resident added.
In a state that is infamous for a poor education system, the residents claim that every child in their homes, be it a girl of a boy, goes to school. "We send them to private schools, government schools in the area are not good. There are many private schools," a mother of three said.
Primarily, an agriculture-based region, Narnaund still faces a number of issues when it comes to irrigation and farming. "We mostly do farming for wheat, rice and mustard seeds. Though they are sold at high prices, we do not get good returns for our crops," a villager said.
In a bid to woo the voters, leaders from all political parties are luring the voters promising them development.
Prominent players in the constituency are Indian National Lok Dal's (INLD) Raj Singh Mor, Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Captain Abhimanyu and an independent candidate Ram Kumar Gautam.
A former Army officer, Abhimanyu has stood his ground as a Jat leader in the region. He is being seen as a strong contender for the chief minister's post if BJP comes to power.
He faces a tough fight from INLD's Raj Singh Mor. The seat is presently held by Mor's wife Saroj. A former superintendent of police, Raj Singh Mor enjoys a popular image of a leader who is available to help everyone at all hours of the day.
"We are not voting for a party but the candidate here. Abhimanyu is more popular in the upper class of the society while the middle and poorer sections prefer Mor as their leader," say a group of residents.
Local analysts also claim that due to caste-based voting among Jats and non-Jats, independent candidate and former BJP MLA from Narnaund, Ram Kumar Gautam, could be a strong contender.
With just a few hours to go before the state goes to polls, it is to be seen whether the preferences of the voters will be based upon their election manifestos or on the age-old caste factor yet again.
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