In a major setback to the Congress ahead of Lok Sabha polls 2019, party’s national spokesman and MLA from Kaithal, Randeep Singh Surjewala faced a humiliating defeat, finishing at third spot in Jind bypoll.
Surjewala, who was seen as a strong Jat candidate in three-cornered electoral battle, ended up behind young candidate Digvijay Chautala of barely a month-old political outfit, Jannayak Janta Party (JJP).
The Congress’ Surjewala secured only 22,740 votes against the 50,566 bagged by the winning BJP candidate Krishan Lal Middha.
The stakes were high for both the national parties—BJP and Congress- in Jind bypoll, deeming it as a “semi-final” ahead of general elections.
The defeat of prominent Congress’ face in Haryana has come as a major blow to the party ahead of Lok Sabha polls and also, state assembly polls scheduled to be held later this year.
Randeep Surjewala, while talking to the mediapersons on Thursday said that the people of Jind have given their mandate and we accept that.
We hope that the winning candidate of BJP will work for the development of Jind assembly constituency, he said.
With this defeat, Surjewala’s aspirations to become Congress’ Chief Ministerial candidate in Haryana assembly polls have also taken a hit.
When asked if the bypoll outcome is a personal setback for him, Surjewala said, “The party had given me a responsibility and I worked hard to fulfill it. It was the decision of voters of Jind and they decided in favor of the BJP.”
The defeat in bypoll has caused a major concern in the state Congress unit. Only recently, the Congress had named Ghulam Nabi Azad as All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary incharge for Haryana.
The faction-ridden Haryana Congress is at present desperately looking to make a comeback in the state.
Haryana Congress is divided in two dominant groups each led by state party chief Ashok Tanwar and former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.
The former Chief Minister’s loyalists, who include 12 MLAs out of total 17 had been demanding a change in the state leadership since long. The demand has however been ignored by the Central party leadership so far.
Notably, the Congress could retain only one Lok Sabha seats out of 10 in Lok Sabha polls 2014. In assembly polls held later that year, the party was reduced to 15 seats, even losing the status of the main opposition party to the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) in the state assembly.
The number of Congress MLAs had later increased to 17 after Kuldeep Bishnoi’s HJC’s merger in the party in 2016.