https://youtu.be/uUCyZaC05Hg?t=224 Basant covered the Haryana elections and reported on the influence of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Ram Rahim on the polls. He talks about the political dynamics between different parties and workers on the ground and how Ram Rahim followers vote en bloc.
According to sources from the dera, a decision to vote for a particular party is taken at the top level after discussions at various levels – the village, block, district and state. Sources claimed that the first discussion happens at the level of a loose gathering of the dera’s supporters within a village. The choice of the party is then communicated to the premi sewak, who is in-charge of carrying out the dera’s activities in a village. The premi sewak then informs the block premi sewak, who in turn discusses it with a 15-member district panel. The decision of the district panel is passed on to an 85-member state committee, which conveys it to the top management. The final decision is then relayed back to the followers through the sangat – the network of the dera’s supporters.
However, dera spokesperson Jitendra Khurana said, “Pitaji (Ram Rahim) has nothing to do with the decision of the sangat. The sangat takes the decision at its own level. Pitaji has never made any decision about voting for any political party.”