The Indian National Lok Dal, which appears to be in a catch-22 situation in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, has retained its sitting MP from Sirsa and fielded five new faces in the polls.
The party on Wednesday announced six candidates for general elections in Haryana, which goes to polling on May 12.
Facing an uphill task to turn the tide in its favor this election, the INLD has fielded party’s sitting MP Charanjeet Singh Rori from Sirsa constituency, known as Chautala’s bastion.
The party had won two seats including Sirsa and Hisar out of 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana in last general elections 2014.
Chautala, INLD secretary general on Wednesday while announcing party candidates for six parliamentary seats said, “After holding discussions with party leaders and workers, the INLD has reposed its faith on Charanjit Singh Rori, who had won the Sirsa seat in 2014 polls. Rori will be fielded from Sirsa constituency again.”
The party has fielded Rampal Balmiki from Ambala constituency (reserved). Balmika had served as deputy mayor in Yamunanagar Municipal Corporation, he said.
Other candidates included Dharambir Padha from Karnal, Surender Chhikara from Sonipat, Suresh Koth from Hisar and Mahendra Singh Chauhan from Faridabad.
The candidates for Gurugram, Rohtak, Kurukshetra and Bhiwani-Mahendragarh seats will be announced on Friday after holding discussion with party chief OP Chautala. The state party president Ashok Arora and senior leader Rampal Majra will meet the party supremo to finalize the name of other four party candidates, Abhay said.
With party’s dwindling political fortunes, several sitting MLAs and senior INLD leaders have reportedly refused to contest Lok Sabha polls forcing it to field new faces in the elections.
Notably, the INLD, which was fighting the 2014 Lok Sabha polls with its back to the wall after the conviction of party chief OP Chautala and his son Ajay Singh Chautala in JBT teachers’ recruitment case, had managed to secure Sirsa and Hisar seats.
Sirsa, one of the two reserved Lok Sabha constituencies in Haryana is known as the bastion of Chautalas. INLD’s Sikh candidate Rori had trounced Congress’ Ashok Tanwar by more than 1.15 lakh votes in last general elections.
An aggressive campaign by INLD in its bastion and sympathy over conviction of its two top leaders had worked for the party in 2014 polls but this election, the party faces a tough task to retain Hisar seat and its citadel-Sirsa.
Sirsa is a Dalit dominated seat with more than 7 lakh Dalit voters, over 3.4 lakh Punjabi and Sikh voters and around 3.34 lakh Jat voters. This time again, INLD’s Rori will face Congress state party chief Ashok Tanwar in the electoral battle while the BJP has fielded former IRS officer Sunita Duggal in Sirsa.
In the last general elections, top leaders of Punjab’s Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) — former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal — having family ties with Chautalas, had also backed INLD’s Sikh candidate in Sirsa and campaigned for him but this time, the SAD has announced support to BJP candidates in Haryana.
On the other hand, Hisar is represented by Jannayak Janta Party leader and OP Chautala’s grandson Dushyant Chautala, who is likely to contest again from this seat.
After the split in INLD and formation of its splinter group-Jannayak Janta Party, the INLD has remained on the back foot and will be battling for its existence in the Lok Sabha polls.
Abhay Chautala had recently lost the position of Leader of opposition in Haryana Assembly with two of INLD’s MLAs joining the BJP and the party’s strength coming down to 15 MLAs in the 90 member House, lesser than Congress’ 17 MLAs. The INLD had earlier this year also faced a humiliating defeat in Jind bypoll, with its candidate finishing at fifth spot and could not even save his security deposit.
When asked about the Jannayak Janta Party and Aam Aadmi Party alliance in Haryana, Abhay Chautala reiterated that the alliance is not formed on political reasons but to ensure that INLD chief OP Chautala stays in Delhi’s Tihar jail and does not come ou The AAP led Delhi Government and JJP have hatched a conspiracy to ensure that Chautala Sabha is not allowed to get parole, he added.
Further commenting on AAP-JJP and BJP-SAD alliance in Haryana, Abhay attacked the alliance partners on the issue of Sutlej Yamuna Link canal. Both AAP and SAD are against the construction of SYL canal so JJP and BJP should make their stand clear on the SYL canal issue, he added.
Notably, a multi-cornered contest is expected on all 10 parliamentary seats in the state with BJP, Congress, INLD, JJP-AAP, LSP-BSP in the fray. Failed to forge an alliance with any political party for Lok Sabha polls, the INLD is compelled to go it alone on all 10 seats in Haryana.
