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Veteran leader’s entry may change poll equation in Karnal
With veteran politician Jai Prakash Gupta entering the fray as an Independent from Karnal assembly constituency, an interesting electoral fight is on the cards.
With veteran politician Jai Prakash Gupta entering the fray as an Independent from Karnal assembly constituency, an interesting electoral fight is on the cards.
For the last 27 years, the two-time legislator has remained a key player in the assembly election. He has contested the last six assembly polls and won twice on the Congress ticket. On four occasions, Gupta (73) remained runners-up as an Independent and the Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC) candidate. Those maintaining a close watch on the state politics say a prominent Bania leader, Gupta would again play a central role in Karnal.
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‘JP’, as the affluent leader from a family of businessmen is popularly known as, is contesting assembly elections since 1987. Gupta’s decision to contest election this time is also being seen as the handiwork of certain BJP leaders who were annoyed over the candidature of Manohar Lal Khattar, a national executive member of the BJP and originally a resident of Rohtak.
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In the last election, Gupta had contested on the HJC ticket and lost again to Sumita Singh by 3,731 votes. Gupta told HT on Wednesday that all political parties had approached him but following advice of his key supporters, he decided to contest as an Independent.
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