ASSEMBLY POLL 2024: Samalkha constituency: BJP yet to open account, Cong wrested seat five times

Tribune News Service

Panipat, August 29

For the BJP, Samalkha Assembly constituency has been a distant dream as it is yet to taste success from here. The party plans to field its candidates to win this constituency, while the Congress will enter the fray to retain its position. However, there is a possibility of a tough contest between both parties.

The Congress has won this seat five times out of the total 13 Assembly elections, but the BJP hasn’t opened its account here so far.

Samalkha Assembly constituency is considered as one of the main constituencies on the GT Road belt, but it was never won by the BJP. Even in the high tide wave of the BJP in 2014, Samalkha residents elected Independent MLA Ravinder Machroli and in the second wave in 2019, they elected Congress candidate Dharam Singh Chhokker as their MLA.

Residents of Samalkha saw the first election in 1967 when a total of 56,690 voters had elected Randhir Singh of Akhil Bharatiya Jan Sangh (ABJS) as its first MLA. In 1968, Kartar Singh of the Congress won the seat.

The Congress tasted success again in 1972 and Hari Singh was elected as the MLA from the seat. In 1977, Janta Party candidate Mool Chand defeated Congress’ sitting MLA Hari Singh. But in 1982, the voters of Samalkha again elected Congress’ Kartar Singh as their MLA.

In 1987, Lok Dal candidate Sachdev Tyagi became the MLA by defeating Congress candidate Hari Singh. In 1991, Janta Dal candidate Hari Singh was elected as MLA from here while in 1996, Kartar Singh Bhadana of Haryana Vikas Party (HVP) was elected the MLA.

In 2000, Kartar Singh Bhadana joined the INLD and again became the MLA of Samalkha by defeating Congress candidate Hari Singh Nalwa. In 2005, the Congress again won the seat and Bharat Singh Chhokker was elected the MLA.

In 2009, Dharam Singh Chhokker registered a win from here on the Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC) (BL-Bhajan Lal) by defeating Congress candidate Sanjay Chhokker from here. But later, he supported the then Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

In 2014, the BJP won almost all seats on the GT road belt, but in Samalkha, Independent candidate Ravinder Machroli won the contest by defeating Congress candidate Dharam Singh Chhokker, however he supported the BJP.

In 2019, the Congress again fielded former CM’s loyalist Dharam Singh Chhokker from the seat and he gained from here by defeating BJP candidate Shashi Kant Kaushik with a margin of 14,942 votes.

The electoral chessboard has been decorated once again and all parties have started preparations. They are yet to announce their players in the electoral battlefield but aspirants have started campaigning to woo the voters.

The political pundits say that the Samalkha election would be more interesting this time, as the BJP would contest to open its account for the first time from here while the Congress would enter the battlefield to retain its position. Two more contestants, including JJP leader Devender Kadyan and former Independent MLA Ravinder Machroli, will make the elections more interesting, they say.

The experts said a total of 23 aspirants, including sitting MLA Dharam Singh Chhokker, have applied for the ticket in the Congress to contest election from Samalkha.

In the BJP, a list of three main aspirants — Manmohan Bhadana, Shashi Kant Kaushik and Bijender Atta — has been sent to the party, sources said.