Congress makes all-out efforts to regain lost ground in Karnal

Tribune News Service

Parveen Arora

Karnal, May 10

The Congress party is making all-out efforts to regain its lost ground in the Lok Sabha constituency and the Karnal Assembly segment. Having faced setbacks in the 2014 and 2019 elections, the party is leaving no stone unturned to overcome the challenge in the upcoming polls. It has launched a concerted campaign to ensure its victory in these elections.

For the Karnal Lok Sabha seat, the Congress has nominated Divyanshu Budhiraja as its candidate against former Chief Minister and BJP candidate Manohar Lal Khattar, INLD-supported NCP (Sharad Panwar) candidate Maratha Virender Verma, BSP candidate Inderjeet Jalmana, JJP candidate Devender Kadian and others.

Besides, the Congress has fielded Trilochan Singh from the Karnal Assembly segment and he is contesting against Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, JJP candidate Rajinder Madaan, Independent candidate Rajinder Arya Dadupur and others.

As per the data, the Congress had faced two consecutive defeats in the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections from Karnal. In the last Lok Sabha polls in 2019, BJP’s Sanjay Bhatia clinched victory by an overwhelming margin, garnering 70.08 per cent of the votes, while Congress candidate Kuldeep Sharma trailed significantly, with only 19.64 per cent of the votes. Bhatia won by second highest victory margin and got 9,11,594 votes, while Sharma got 2,55,452 votes.

Similarly, in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, BJP’s Ashwini Kumar Chopra emerged victorious, securing 5,94,817 votes, which was 49.84 per cent of the votes. The Congress candidate, Arvind Kumar Sharma, lagged behind with 2,34,670 votes, which was19.66 per cent of the votes. Similarly in the Assembly elections, Khattar won from the Karnal Assembly seat in 2014 and 2019.

In the Karnal Assembly segment, Khattar has been a leading force, clinching victories in the 2014 and 2019 polls. In 2019, Khattar got 79,906 votes, which was 63.72 per cent, while Congress candidate Trilochan Singh got 34,718 votes, which was 27.68 per cent of the total polled votes. Khattar has recorded a rise of 4.97 per cent in voter turnout in comparison to the 2014 Assembly elections.

Similarly in 2014, Khattar got 82,485 per cent votes, while his opponent Independent candidate Jai Parkash received 18,712, which was 13.33 per cent, INLD candidate Manoj Wadhwa received 17,685 votes, which was 12.60 per cent. Congress candidate Surender Narwal remained at fourth place and got 12,804 votes, which was 9.12 per cent. Khattar’s impressive performance has posed a challenge to the Congress.

Undeterred by the past electoral outcomes, Congress candidates Divyanshu and Trilochan Singh are spearheading vigorous campaigns to mobilise support and secure the party’s victory. Divyanshu’s focus is on roadshows and public meetings, while Trilochan Singh is concentrating on door-to-door canvassing and holding nukar meetings, which reflects their efforts at the grassroots level. The political analysts say all eyes are on both Karnal seats.

Divyanshu is confident about his victory. “We will win as people have rejected the former CM. Even his party has removed him from the post of the CM,” said Divyanshu, who is going among people on the issue of unemployment, inflation, flaws in the portal system, which allegedly disturbed the lives of people.

Trilochan Singh also claimed that the Congress would win the Lok Sabha and Assembly seats from Karnal by defeating former CM and the present CM. “The Congress will regain its ground in Karnal as all our workers and leaders are working with dedication. Even people are also supporting us,” said Singh.

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