KARNAL

I D Swami would be facing two "outsiders" in ruling INLD candidate Transport Minister Ashok Kumar Arora and Cong's Arvind Sharma.

Union Minister of State for Home I D Swami would be facing two "outsiders" in ruling INLD candidate Transport Minister Ashok Kumar Arora and Congress nominee Arvind Sharma, who belong to Kurukshetra and Sonepat respectively, in the May 10 election to the 14th Lok Sabha.

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Swami, first won from here in 1996 defeating Chiranji Lal Sharma of the Congress, whose son Kuldip, on being denied nomination by the Congress is now contesting as an independent. Swami lost to Bhajan Lal in 1998 elections and avenged the defeat in 1999.

BJP has been able to win this seat only twice in the eight elections since 1977. Congress' Chiranji Lal Sharma has won from here a record four times in 1980, 1984, 1989 and 1991. Bhajan Lal won from here once in 1999, while in 1977 polls Bhagwat Dayal Sharma of the Bhartiya Lok Dal (BLD) was the winner.

Karnal witnesses a triangular contest between Swami (BJP), Arora (INLD) and Arvind Sharma (Congress), Kuldip who is banking on his father Chiranji Lal Sharma's image and past record can make a sizeable dent in the rivals' calculation.

As many as 20 nominees, including 12 Independents are in the fray.

Congress has brought in Arvind Sharma, a former MP from Sonepat Lok Sabha constituency, who had contested as an Independent in 1996. Internal bickering in the Congress had delayed Sharma's candidature resulting in a late campaign.

Arora and Swami have been campaigning in the constituency for the past 10 days.

Ekta Shakti Party candidate Raj Kumar Sharma, with support from the Rors, Kamboj, Brahmins and OBCs, is likely to put up a contest.

Independent candidate Kuldip Sharma can also make a considerable dent in Brahmin and other votes.

There are about three lakh backward caste votes, 2.25 lakh schedule caste votes and 50,000 Bania votes in Karnal Lok Sabha Constituency.

Chief Minister Om Parkash Chautala had addressed a number of election meetings in favour of INLD candidate here.

Abhay Chautala INLD candidate from Kurukshetra Lok Sabha Constituency has also campaigned in favour of Arora in rural areas of the constituency.

Filmstars Sanjay Dutt and Aditya Pancholi too pitched in in favour of INLD candidate and attracted huge crowds.

Swami, is facing the wrath of people of Karnal district for setting up of a toll tax by National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) near Uchana lake, here.

Locals are also sore over scanty development work undertaken in the constituency during past four years of NDA rule.

Swami is trying hard to assuage the feeling of locals and urging them to give one more chance to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to fulfill the incomplete work.
Congress' Arvind Sharma, although an outsider and a late entrant in the fray, has embarked on a brisk campaign with partymen pitching in for his victory.

HVP candidate Ram Chander Jangra is also a strong candidate and he can garner a considerable number of backward caste votes.

He will also encash the goodwill created by Bansi Lal during his tenure as Chief Minister.

Jangra is the second person from the backward caste to be given ticket for the Lok Sabha polls by Bansi Lal since 1952 and people of the community are jubilant over his candidature.

Ekta Shakti Party candidate Raj Kumar Sharma is striving hard to woo the voters in his favour. He is mainly supported by Virender Verma, former HCS officer and chief of Ekta Shakti Party.