Back in Congress, Lal Singh looks to defend bastion of Basohli against BJP
Lal Singh has been part of the equation more often than not in recent years, winning the seat thrice with different parties each time
While the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) have also fielded their candidates, a direct contest is anticipated between 66-year old Choudhary Lal Singh of the Congress and 48-year old Darshan Kumar Singh of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on the Basohli assembly constituency in Kathua district.
The two Rajputs will battle it out in the third phase of polling — October 1. This time around, 69,282 electors will seal the fate of the candidates in fray.
Traditionally, the seat has remained a stronghold of the Congress but the BJP has won it in the last two assembly elections, 2008 and 2014.
Lal Singh has been part of the equation more often than not in recent years, winning the seat thrice with different parties each time. In 1996, he was elected on an All India Indira Congress (Tiwari) AIIC-T ticket, on a Congress mandate in 2002 and with the BJP in 2014. His wife, Kanta Andotra, won the 2004 bypolls as a Congress candidate.
Lal Singh, who was then with the BJP, won the seat in 2014 with a margin of 17,801 votes. He polled 29,808 votes with a vote share of 53.07%, defeating National Conference’s Davinder Singh, who polled 12,007 votes for a 21.38% share. Congress’ Jagdish Raj Sapolia came a distant third with 8,809 votes for 15.68%.
Sapolia had won the seat on a BJP ticket in 2008 with 16,651 votes and a vote share of 35.25%. Davinder had secured 13,770 votes 29.15% and was the runner-up. Congress candidate and Lal Singh’s wife Kanta Andotra had finished a third with 13,678 votes for 28.96%.
An 1982 arts graduate from the Jammu University, Lal Singh again switched allegiance, returning to the Congress on March 20 this year just before the Lok Sabha elections on the precondition that he would be the party candidate from Udhampur Lok Sabha seat.
Despite a brave fight, he suffered a defeat at the hands of Union minister Dr Jitendra Singh, who won the seat for the third straight term.
Jitendra Singh polled 5,71,076 votes with a vote share of 51.28%, edging Lal Singh who managed 4,46,703 votes for a share of 40.11%.
Lal Singh, notably, had been arrested in November last year by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a money laundering case against RB Educational Trust, being run by his wife Kanta Andotra. He is the chairperson of the trust and is out on bail. The case is still being investigated.
The two-time MP from Udhampur and the three-time MLA from Basohli has been campaigning vigorously in the constituency, which has seen the poll conversation largely remain focussed on the need to create more employment opportunities and civic issues like ensuring stable supply of electricity and potable water.
Having won the seat the last time, he was inducted into the cabinet in the PDP-BJP coalition government, which collapsed after the saffron party pulled support citing worsening security scenario in the region.
The former minister faces a new challenger in the form of BJP’s Darshan Kumar Singh, who has also hit the road running with rallies across the lengths and breadth of the constituency to canvass support.
Before the unceremonious fall of the coalition government, Lal Singh had resigned from the BJP following an outcry over his and fellow minister Chander Prakash Ganga’s presence in a rally, allegedly, in support of the accused in the rape and murder of an eight-year-old nomadic girl in Kathua’s Rasana in January 2018.
Singh had claimed that they were directed by the BJP’s local unit chief Ravinder Raina to visit the protestors and pacify them.
The fiery leader’s election record goes beyond as he also had 2019 Lok Sabha elections from both Jammu and Udhampur only to face defeat in both.
In his affidavit filed before the returning officer on Wednesday for the upcoming polls, Lal Singh stated that he has no criminal case against him. The ED has registered an ECIR (enforcement case information report), but it does not tantamount to FIR. “Another FIR number 116/2024 under section 353, 500, 504, and 505 (IPC) is under investigation and no chargesheet has been presented till date,” read his affidavit.
Lal Singh and his wife have moveable assets to the tune of over ₹1 crore that include 750 gm gold worth ₹47.25 lakh. He also owns immoveable assets worth ₹2 crore and residential buildings at Marheen Kathua worth ₹50 lakh.
The filing of nominations for third and last phase of Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir ended on Thursday. The last date for withdrawal of candidature is September 17. Polling will be held on October 1.