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Haryana: Khattar kick starts poll campaign for Karnal LS seat
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s national president JP Nadda, who was scheduled to chair the event, did not show up due to some urgent engagement in the party affairs at the national capital, the sources said
Former chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Tuesday kickstarted his Lok Sabha polls campaign.
He was with chief minister Nayab Saini at the new grain market in Gharounda in Karnal.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s national president JP Nadda, who was scheduled to chair the event, did not show up due to some urgent engagement in the party affairs at the national capital, the sources said.
The BJP last week, had announced Khattar as their parliamentary candidate from the Karnal seat, consisting of nine Assembly constituencies -- five in Karnal and four in Panipat.
Currently, BJP MLAs represent five constituencies, followed by three from Congress and one independent, who supports the saffron party.
Haryana will vote on May 25 with Karnal assembly seat also going for a by-poll the same day after the seat fell vacant following Khattar’s resignation.
Addressing the gathering, the former CM said that change is the essence of life and he is a committed party worker.
“We’ve observed political change for the last several decades. I was asking the (central) leaders for the last year that this is the right time to bring a new face, which the party and the people could unanimously accept and Saini was made the chief minister,” he added.
Khattar further said that following the development, there have been comments from several corners critical of the move that the timing is not right or they remained unaware. Still, such things can happen only in the BJP, when there is no anti-voice despite a sudden change like seen in the Congress at the state and Centre level.
CM Saini appealed to the voters to elect Khattar, his political mentor, for the parliamentary seat with the highest margin of votes the country has ever witnessed.
This was their first appearance for a political rally in the state since the breakaway with their coalition partner JJP and the replacement of the top brass. Earlier in the day, Saini led a roadshow from Panchkula to Karnal and was welcomed at several spots on NH-44.
Interacting with reporters after paying obeisance at Nada Sahib Gurdwara in Panchkula, Saini exuded confidence that like in the 2019 general election, this time too the people of Haryana would give all 10 Lok Sabha seats to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
When asked about former home minister Anil Vij, who had skipped his swearing-in ceremony last week, Saini said, “He is our respected leader. We have been regularly getting guidance from him.”
