In a remark that has triggered both laughter and discomfort during Haryana’s ongoing civic poll campaign, Pataudi BJP MLA Bimla Chaudhary promised to help unmarried men find brides if the BJP wins the municipal elections in Rewari — once again drawing attention to South Haryana’s deep-rooted gender imbalance and growing “bachelor crisis”.Addressing a rally in support of BJP municipal council candidate Vinita Pippal in Rewari on Thursday, Chaudhary told the gathering, “Vote for us and I also take responsibility for getting the young bachelors married.” Haryana Health Minister Arti Rao, who shared the stage, jokingly remarked that the MLA had effectively opened a “marriage bureau” in Rewari.Later, Chaudhary told reporters that she had already helped arrange marriages for several bachelors from Rewari and nearby areas with women from Palwal and adjoining districts. The comments quickly went viral across Haryana’s political circles.However, behind the political humour lies a grim social reality that has haunted large parts of South Haryana for decades. Haryana has long recorded one of the country’s worst sex ratios due to female foeticide and gender discrimination. According to the 2011 Census, the state had only 879 women for every 1,000 men, while the child sex ratio stood at an alarming 834 girls per 1,000 boys.Experts say the skewed ratio has now translated into a severe shortage of marriageable women in districts such as Rewari, Mahendragarh, Jhajjar and parts of Gurugram, forcing many families to seek brides from other states. In many villages, men in their 30s and 40s remain unmarried due to the shrinking pool of eligible women.The issue is not new in Haryana politics either. In 2014, senior BJP leader OP Dhankar had sparked a nationwide controversy after suggesting that brides would be brought from Bihar for Haryana’s bachelors.Voting for Rewari municipal elections is scheduled for May 10, with results to be declared on May 13. But for thousands of bachelors across South Haryana, the larger social crisis remains far from over.