'36 biradaris' dominate Haryana poll talk again: What does it mean?

Since its formation in 1966, Haryana’s political landscape has been largely shaped by caste-based politics.

Ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Deepender Hooda said that he wanted the “chhattis biradari” to help Congress win all ten seats in Haryana. As the state gears up for the upcoming Assembly polls on October 5, the phrase “36 biradaris” is once again back in focus.

Both the BJP and the Congress are tailoring their candidate selections to woo this group.  Former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda pitched Congress as the “party of the 36 biradaris”. "Last time, the people gave us the responsibility to stay in the Opposition and we raised their voice,” Hooda told NDTV.

The BJP too has been making similar claims.  BJP national secretary and the party’s manifesto committee chief Om Prakash Dhankar said, “We have promised a welfare board to look after the interests of each of the 36 biradaris if the party is voted back to power in the elections.”

What is ‘36 biradaris’?

The phrase is commonly used to refer to all castes and communities in Haryana. Among the castes and communities in this category are Brahmins, Baniyas (Agarwals), Jats, Gurjars, Rajputs, Punjabis (Hindu), Sunars, Ahirs, Sainis, Rors, and Kumhars. Almost half the Scheduled Castes (SCs) are from the leather-working castes.

Jats and Dalits comprise nearly 29 and 20 percent of Haryana’s total population, respectively.  Of the over 50 lakh Dalits, over 24 lakh are Jatavs and the rest are largely divided between Valmikis and Dhanaks.

M Rajivlochan, who teaches history at Panjab University in Chandigarh, told the Indian Express that biradaris are like extended families. “Haryana is the region of Mahabharat. It’s imagined that structures like biradaris have lasted since the time of Mahabharat,” he told IE.

According to reports, whenever any candidate approaches a village, he or she is welcomed by prominent villagers on behalf of the “36 biradari”.

How are parties trying to woo '36 biradaris'?

Since its formation in 1966, Haryana’s political landscape has been largely shaped by caste-based politics. In Haryana, politicians often use this phrase to garner votes from different communities. However, many people prefer to reach out to a particular vote bank keeping in mind the interests of their caste groups.

Therefore, caste calculation is the key priority of all parties when it comes to fielding candidates.  The BJP is known for focusing on non-Jat politics in Haryana. However, this time, the party allocated 15 tickets to the Jat community, representing 17% of the total 90 seats. The BJP gave 19 and 24 tickets to Jats in the 2019 and 2014 assembly elections, respectively.

Meanwhile, the Congress has maintained a stronger emphasis on Jat representation. It awarded tickets to 26 Jat candidates, 20 OBCs, 17 SCs, 11 Sikhs or Punjabi Hindus, six Brahmins, five Muslims, two Vaishyas, and one Rajput, Bishnoi, and Ror candidate.