The ruling BJP and opposition parties in Haryana are bracing up for Jind byelection, voting for which is scheduled to be held on January 28.The bypoll is likely to witness a rectangular political battle.
The Jind assembly constituency was represented by Indian National Lok Dal’s candidate Hari Chand Middha, who passed away due to illness on August 26. Midha, one of the oldest medical practitioners of Jind, had represented the constituency for two consecutive terms in 2009 and 2014.
With Election Commission announcing the poll schedule, all eyes will be on the bypoll results, with the ruling BJP trying to repeat its performance after sweeping recent municipal polls and wrest the Jind assembly seat from the INLD.
The BJP had in December last year registered a clean sweep, winning all five mayoral posts in the elections to five municipal corporations in Haryana. The mayors of five MCs including Hisar, Rohtak, Yamunanagar, Panipat and Karnal were elected directly for the first time by the voters in the state.
On the other hand, the INLD, main opposition party in Haryana will try to retain its Jind assembly seat while the Congress, which faced humiliating defeat in last assembly polls, would try its luck to prove its mass base.
INLD breakaway faction, Jannayak Janta Party floated by OP Chautala’s elder son Ajay Chautala will also test political waters as they take on three major political parties in Jind bypoll, just few months ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
The Aam Aadmi Party which has announced to contest general elections and assembly polls in Haryana this year, has however opted out of contesting the bypoll. AAP led by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will instead promote NOTA (none of the above) as an option among voters, aiming to understand their mindset.
Of the more than 1.7 lakh voters of the Jind Assembly segment, over 1.07 lakh are urban voters while nearly 62,500 live in villages.
Political observers feel that that the byelection would be an opportunity for all political parties to show their strength ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha polls and assembly polls in Haryana scheduled to be held later this year.
The bypoll results in centrally located Jind in Jatland-Haryana will help the political parties to gauge the voters’ mood ahead of crucial general election 2019, say political observers.
While the BJP has appointed Agriculture Minister OP Dhankar and national secretary Sudha Yadav as observers to decide the party’s candidate for Jind bypolls, the Congress has appointed senior leader KC Venugopal as observer.
Dhankar and Yadav on Friday met the party workers in Jind to take their feedback about probable candidates. The two leaders will soon submit their report to the party high command for finalization of the candidate.
Subhash Barala, Haryana BJP president on Friday said that the party is ready for the bypoll and will soon announce its candidate. Names of around a dozen probable candidates were discussed in party’s election committee meeting held in New Delhi on Thursday, he said.
Those who have shown their interest to contest on a BJP ticket in the bypoll included Harichand Middha’s son Krishan Middha, Tek Chand Kandela, Surender Barwala, Rajesh Goyal, Jawahar Saini, Master Goyal among others.
Jind is known as the turf of Jat leader Birender Singh, who had left the Congress to join the BJP ahead of 2014 general elections.
The INLD, which will be trying to retain the Jind assembly seat will announce its candidate on January 9. To retain its Jind seat is a matter of prestige for the INLD, which is reeling under the after effects of its recent split.
Leader of opposition in Haryana Assembly and INLD’s senior leader Abhay Chautala said that the party is confident of its victory and will announce its candidate on January 9.
Gearing up for bypoll, Ashok Tanwar, Haryana Congress chief on Friday held a party workers’ meeting in New Delhi. Tanwar directed the party workers to launch door-to-door campaign in Jind assembly seat to reach out to the voters.
The Congress appointed observer KC Venugopal is likely to visit Jind this weekend to meet the party leaders and will submit his report to party high command about the prospective candidates.
The recently formed Jannayak Janta Party will make its debut in the electoral battle and party’s patron Ajay Chautala has announced that if his party is not registered by the EC till January 10, then they will field its candidate as an independent.
Last date for the nominations for Jind bypoll is January 10 and the dates for scrutiny and withdrawal of candidatures shall be January 11 and January 14, respectively.
The result will be announced on January 31.
At present, the BJP has 47 seats in the 90-member Haryana assembly. The Congress has 17 seats while main opposition party INLD has 19 seats.