The political activity intensified in Haryana on Tuesday with the announcement of much-awaited bypoll in Ellenabad Assembly constituency of Sirsa district, which is likely to witness a high-pitched three-cornered electoral battle.
The polling will be held on October 30 and the result would be announced on November 2. The election was necessitated after Indian National Lok Dal’s senior leader Abhay Chautala had resigned on January 27 from the Ellenabad constituency in support of ongoing farmers’ agitation against three central farm laws.
With the issue of farmers’ protest set to take a centre stage in the bypoll, the electoral battle is seen as a litmus test for ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-Jannayak Janata Party alliance, main opposition- Congress and Indian National Lok Dal.
Ellenabad, known as INLD’s stronghold, is a rural seat, having more than 1.8 lakh voters.
Being in power in Haryana for almost two years now, the BJP-JJP won't want to lose in Ellenabad as the defeat would be a major setback to its image. The ruling alliance had lost the Baroda bypoll in November last year despite fielding a heavyweight candidate Olympian wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt.
The Congress had managed to retain the Baroda seat in Sonipat district and linked its victory to the prevailing unrest in the farming community in the state over three agriculture laws.
Not only this, the ruling dispensation had also suffered major upsets in the municipal elections held in December last year.
The protesting farmers, mostly from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, have been camping at three border points of Delhi -- Singhu, Tikri (along Haryana), and Ghazipur – since November last year demanding a repeal of the three farm laws enacted by the Centre in September last year.
The farmers’ protest was a key issue in both Baroda bypoll and municipal polls in Haryana last year. Still struggling to deal with the situation arising out of the farmers’ protest, the BJP-JJP will
be fielding a joint candidate for the bypoll.
BJP’s arch-rival- Congress is likely to field Pawan Beniwal for the bypoll. Beniwal had recently joined the Congress and had contested on Ellenabad assembly seat on a BJP’s ticket in 2014 and 2019 but had lost both times. The bypoll is seen as a good opportunity for the faction-ridden Congress in Haryana as the sentiments among farming community is currently against the ruling dispensation.
On the other hand, the bypoll is a prestige issue for the INLD, which is desperately looking for a comeback in the state. The INLD is presently unrepresented in the Haryana Assembly after the lone sitting member and Abhay Chautala, son of INLD chief OP Chautala had resigned in the wake of farmers’ protests earlier this year.
Barring Abhay, who had retained Ellenabad seat in Sirsa district, over 80 candidates of the INLD had to bite the dust in 2019 Haryana Assembly polls. Former Chief Minister and INLD patriarch OP Chautala, after being released from Delhi’s Tihar jail in July had been conducting public outreach programmes and had also extended support to farmers’ agitation with an aim to strengthen the party's base in rural parts of the state.
The INLD has been struggling hard to retain its place as a regional party in Haryana after its split and formation of splinter group-JJP in November 2018.
According to the political analysts, for the ruling BJP-JJP and main opposition- Congress, the outcome of the electoral battle would indicate the sentiments of rural voters amid ongoing farmers’ protest while for the INLD, the result would decide its future in the state politics.
In 2019 assembly polls, Abhay Chautala had got around 57,000 votes, BJP’s Beniwal polled 45,000 votes and Congress candidate Bharat Singh secured over 35,000 and JJP’s OP Sihag barely got 6,569 votes.
Since being declared a general constituency in 2009, Ellenabad assembly seat has remained a Chautala clan stronghold. In 2009, OP Chautala won from this seat but in 2010, a bypoll was held which Abhay Chautala contested and won. Abhay has since then contested and won the seat.
After the announcement of bypoll, BJP state chief OP Dhankar on Tuesday said that the BJP-JJP alliance will field a joint candidate for electoral battle on Ellenabad assembly seat. Whether the candidate would be from BJP or JJP will be decided in the next few days.
On the possibility of farmers’ protest having a major impact on bypoll results, Dhankar claimed that farmers in Haryana are happy with the central farm laws and the protest would not impact the outcome of the byelection.
INLD leader Abhay Chautala said, “The bypoll will be contested on the issue of three black central farm laws. People will teach a lesson to the ruling BJP-JJP and Congress in the bypoll.”