Acid test for Khattar tomorrow

Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 14

The prestige of Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar is at stake in the mayoral and municipal corporation elections in Karnal, Panipat, Rohtak, Hisar and Yamunanagar on Sunday.

Campaigning in the five municipal corporations as well as in the municipal committees of Jakhal in Fatehabad and Pundri in Kaithal ended on Friday evening.

With BJP candidates in all five municipal corporations facing a stiff challenge from opponents, some of whom are being supported by a joint opposition, Khattar has campaigned extensively in all five cities.

In his home constituency Karnal, BJP candidate Renu Bala Gupta is facing a stiff challenge from independent Asha Wadhwa, who is supported by the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Congress.

In former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s hometown Rohtak, which is also Khattar’s home district, BJP candidate Manmohan Goyal is facing a stiff challenge from Congress-supported candidate Sita Ram Sachdeva.

Jagmati Sangwan of the CPM and Sanchit Nandal of the INLD-BSP alliance have made the contest quadrangular. Sangwan also enjoys the support of Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party and Yogendra Yadav’s Swaraj Abhiyan.

In Hisar, where the BJP has fielded Gautam Sardana as its candidate, Rekha Aren, supported by Savitri Jindal and Kuldeep Bishnoi of the Congress, is giving the ruling party candidate a stiff challenge. Amit Saini of the INLD is in the fray, making the contest triangular.

In Panipat, BJP’s Avneet Kaur is pitted against Anshu Kaur Pahwa, who enjoys the support of local Congress leader Balbir Pal Shah.

In Yamunanagar, Madan Chauhan of the BJP is facing a tough fight from Rakesh Sharma of the Congress and Sandeep Goyal of the INLD.

Interestingly, issues of development and party affiliations have taken a back seat and caste factor has taken precedence in the mayoral polls, particularly in Karnal, Rohtak and Hisar, where elections have become Punjabi (those who migrated from Pakistan during Partition) versus Baniya communities.

In Karnal and Rohtak, where the BJP has fielded Baniyas Renu Bala Gupta and Manmohan Goyal respectively, Khattar is finding it hard to soothe voters from his own Punjabi community.

Particularly in Karnal, almost all opposition parties have come out in support of an independent candidate from the Punjabi community, Asha Wadhwa, much to Khattar’s embarrassment.

In Hisar, where the BJP has fielded a Punjabi, Gautam Sardana, the Agarwal community has rallied behind Congress-backed Rekha Aren, a member of the Baniya community, irrespective of party affiliations.

Political observers believe that if Khattar manages to clear this acid test, it will prove good for the BJP ahead of next year’s polls. A loss will mean that the ruling party is not popular in its own voter base, urban voters.

Meanwhile, the police have made elaborate security arrangements to ensure smooth conduct of elections. Director General of Police BS Sandhu said arrangements had been made to ensure that people exercised their franchise without any fear. Elaborate security arrangements had been put in place in and around polling centres.

Giving details, Additional Director General of Police, Law and Order, Mohammad Akil, said flag marches were being conducted in poll-bound cities and towns and nakas, patrolling and checking intensified. Cities had been divided into sectors and duty magistrate appointed along with police parties, he added.