E-Paper
Can three Independent MLAs dent the political prospects of BJP in Haryana?
Golan’s seat comes under Kurukshetra Lok Sabha, Nilokheri is an assembly segment of Karnal seat and Dadri is part of Bhiwani-Mahendragarh constituency
In the wake of three independent MLAs pulling the rug out from under the Nayab Singh Saini-led government and announcing to back the Congress during press conferences, the hot topic of discussion is if they will have enough political muscle to hurt the electoral prospects of BJP in the state or not.
MLAs Randhir Gollen from Pundri, Dharmpal Gonder from Nilokheri and Sombir Singh Sangwan from Dadri in Bhiwani have declared that they will back the Congress Lok Sabha candidates.
While Golan’s seat comes under Kurukshetra Lok Sabha, Nilokheri is an assembly segment of Karnal seat and Dadri is part of Bhiwani-Mahendragarh constituency.
Haryana will vote in the sixth phase of the general elections on May 25.
How they performed in the 2019 assembly elections
Days ahead of the 2019 Vidhan Sabha polls, Dharmpal Gonder was eyeing a BJP ticket from Nilokheri (SC reserved) that instead showed its faith in the sitting MLA Bhagwandas Kabirpanthi.
Gonder later contested as an Independent and became MLA for the first time with a margin of 2,222 votes. He was among the seven legislators, who extended support to Manohar Lal Khattar and soon he was appointed as chairman of Haryana forest development corporation.
In Kaithal, Randhir Gollen contested the election as an Independent from Pundri, after losing the last election on a BJP ticket.
Out of 1,36,303 votes, Gollen polled 41,008 votes (31%) in his favour, followed by Congress’ Satbir Bhana and BJP’s Ved Pal Advocate was pushed to third. There was a margin of over 20,000 votes between Gollen and Ved Pal.
Similarly, Sombir Sangwan also managed to push Dangal girl Babita Kumari Phogat, representing the BJP, to third position. Of 1,25,909 votes polled, Sangwan bagged 43,849 (35%), while Phogat was limited to just 24,786 (20%).
Constituency Profile
Karnal Lok Sabha has nine assembly segments – Indri (BJP), Nilokheri (Ind), Karnal (BJP), Gharounda (BJP), Assandh (INC), Panipat City (BJP), Panipat Rural (BJP), Israna (INC) and Samalkha (INC). Here, BJP has five MLAs and Congress have three and one Independent--Gonder.
On the seat that is considered Punjabi dominant, Khattar will be taking on Congress’ Divyanshu Budhiraja, both from the same community.
In Kurukshetra constituency, BJP MLAs represent Thanesar (Subhash Sudha), Pehowa (Sandeep Singh), Kalayat (Kamlesh Dhanda) and Kaithal (Leela Ram), while its former ally JJP won Shahbad (Ram Karan) and Guhla (Ishwar Singh), Congress’s Bishan Lal Saini is MLA from Radaur and Mewa Singh from Ladwa.
With Gollen’s decision, the opposition could have the support of five MLAs. Sons of both JJP legislators – Ram Karan and Ishwar Singh -- recently joined the Congress.
The seat currently held by chief minister Nayab Saini has nearly 22% of the OBC population with considerable voters from Jat, followed by Punjabi and Baniya communities.
BJP has fielded two-time MP from the seat Naveen Jindal, AAP’s state president Sushil Gupta is INDIA bloc’s candidate, while INLD’s lone MLA Abhay Chautala is also testing waters this time.
On Bhiwani-Mahendragarh Lok Sabha seat, there are four Assembly segments in Mahendergarh district – Mahendergarh (INC), Ateli (BJP), Narnaul (BJP), Nangal Chaudhary (BJP), three in Bhiwani — Bhiwani (BJP), Tosham (INC) and Loharu (BJP) besides two legislative constituencies of Charkhi Dadri district — Badhra (JJP) and Dadri (IND).
BJP that represents five of nine assembly segments, has reposed confidence in two-time MP Dharambir Singh, while Congress’ Mahendergarh MLA is the Lok Sabha nominee from the seat.
