Congress leader Randeep Surjewala’s son Aditya Surjewala, Bharatiya Janata Party’s Shruti Choudhry, who is the granddaughter of former chief minister Bansi Lal, and Kurukshetra MP Naveen Jindal’s mother Savitri Jindal were among several leaders who filed their nominations on Thursday, the last day of filing of nominations for Haryana assembly elections.
Shruti, accompanied by her mother and Rajya Sabha MP Kiran Choudhry, Bhiwani-Mahendergarh MP Dharambir Singh, and party election co-incharge Biplab Deb Kumar, filed her papers for Tosham seat.
Bansi Lal’s son-in-law Somvir Singh Sheoran filed his nomination papers from Badhra. He paid tributes to Bansi Lal’s statue at his native village, Golagrah, before filing his nomination papers.
Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) general secretary Abhay Singh Chautala filed his nomination papers from Ellenabad while his son Arjun Singh Chautala filed from Rania. TV journalist Sarv Mittar Kamboj of the Congress also filed his papers from Rania.
In Sirsa, sitting MLA Gopal Kanda of the Haryana Janhit Congress filed his nomination papers. Businessman-turned-Congress leader Rajbir Singh Fartiya filed his nomination from Loharu assembly segment in Bhiwani and will face finance minister Jai Parkash Dalal of the BJP in a direct contest.
According to the Election Commission of India’s official website, 1,715 candidates have filed papers for the Haryana assembly polls as of 10:30 pm on Thursday. Former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda accompanied his party candidates Ashok Arora (Thanesar), Mewa Singh (Ladwa), and Ramkaran Kala (Shahbad) for their nominations. At Ladwa, where chief minister Nayab Singh Saini is contesting, Hooda said the countdown of the BJP government has started in the state, and the departure of the “corrupt” and “non-performing” government from the state is certain.
{{/usCountry}}According to the Election Commission of India’s official website, 1,715 candidates have filed papers for the Haryana assembly polls as of 10:30 pm on Thursday. Former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda accompanied his party candidates Ashok Arora (Thanesar), Mewa Singh (Ladwa), and Ramkaran Kala (Shahbad) for their nominations. At Ladwa, where chief minister Nayab Singh Saini is contesting, Hooda said the countdown of the BJP government has started in the state, and the departure of the “corrupt” and “non-performing” government from the state is certain.
{{/usCountry}}Union power minister and former chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar was present for the nominations of Karnal district president Yogender Rana at Assandh and Nilokheri candidate Bhagwandas Kabirpanthi.
Rebels also throw their hat in the ring
Several rebels from the incumbent BJP and main opposition Congress also filed their papers. Among them was Savitri Jindal, mother of BJP Kurukshetra MP Naveen Jindal, and former Hisar mayor Gautam Sardana who filed papers as independents from Hisar.
Former Haryana CM Khattar’s then-media advisor Rajiv Jain filed his nomination as an independent from Sonepat after the party denied ticket to his wife and former minister Kavita Jain. The BJP has fielded Sonepat mayor Nikhil Madan from the Sonepat seat. Similarly, BJP rebel Dinesh Kaushik filed papers against his party’s pick in Pundri, Satpal Jamba. Former finance minister and senior Congress leader Sampat Singh, ex-Panipat city MLA Rohita Revari, former Bawani Khera MLA Ram Kisan Foji, ex-Ballabgarh law-maker Sharda Rathore, and former minister Nirmal Singh’s daughter Chitra Sarwara filed nomination papers as independents after being denied tickets by their parties.
The Congress has fielded Chitra’s father Nirmal Singh from Ambala city, but she was denied a ticket from Ambala cantonment. Chitra and her father Nirmal were denied tickets by the Congress in the 2019 assembly polls and contested as independent nominees from Ambala cantonment and Ambala city, respectively, and lost.
Ram Bilas Sharma, who had filed his nomination as a BJP candidate without officially getting a ticket, announced on Thursday that he would withdraw his nomination and support the party nominee, Kanwar Singh Yadav, from the Mahendergarh assembly seat, after the BJP denied him a ticket. Sharma burst into tears and told his workers, “Why are you trying to make me cry? I have spent my life in the BJP, and I want to die as a BJP worker. I will support the party candidate, and the party is supreme to me.”
With inputs from Bhavey Nagpal in Karnal