Cong heavyweights, JJP-AAP alliance may rock BJP boat : The Tribune India

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Cong heavyweights, JJP-AAP alliance may rock BJP boat

CHANDIGARH: In the absence of a strong Modi wave, Congress heavyweights and the JJP-AAP alliance may rock the BJP boat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The saffron party’s euphoria of winning the Jind bypoll and five mayoral elections recently may prove to be shortlived as the Congress has lined up its heavyweights to take on the ruling party even as the JJP-AAP alliance is also posing a challenge to the ruling dispensation.

Cong heavyweights, JJP-AAP alliance may rock BJP boat

Congress leaders at the nomination of Ashok Tanwar in Sirsa. File photo



Pradeep Sharma

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 25

In the absence of a strong Modi wave, Congress heavyweights and the JJP-AAP alliance may rock the BJP boat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

The saffron party’s euphoria of winning the Jind bypoll and five mayoral elections recently may prove to be shortlived as the Congress has lined up its heavyweights to take on the ruling party even as the JJP-AAP alliance is also posing a challenge to the ruling dispensation.

Apparently making it a “do or die” battle, the Congress has fielded at least six senior leaders — former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda (Sonepat), former Speaker Kuldeep Sharma (Karnal), former Union Minister Kumari Selja (Ambala), state Congress chief Ashok Tanwar (Sirsa), former state minister Ajay Yadav (Gurugram) and three-time MP Deepender Hooda (Rohtak).

In fact, the faction-ridden Congress, which could win only the Rohtak seat in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, is leaving no stone unturned to put up an impressive show in the May 12 parliamentary elections, the results of which would set the tone for the October Assembly elections in the state.

This coupled with the support base of the JJP-AAP alliance, especially among the youth, and its impressive performance in the Jind byelection, where its candidate secured around 38,000 votes, is giving sleepless nights to the BJP.

However, the ruling party is still banking on the “Modi magic” and division of the Opposition vote in the event of multi-cornered contests to better its performance in the parliamentary elections.

“The people of Haryana would vote to elect Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister again. Despite Opposition claims, ‘Modi magic’ is still intact and a divided Opposition would help the BJP win all 10 seats in Haryana,” Education Minister Ram Bilas Sharma told The Tribune.

BJP sources said the party was banking heavily on the consolidation of the urban and non-Jat vote for better results. “The BJP gave its best performance on the strength of ‘Modi wave’ and polarisation of urban and non-Jat votes in its favour in 2014 Lok Sabha election and the same phenomenon would be repeated this time too,” a senior functionary of the party asserted.

However, multi-cornered contests and no clear-cut wave in favour of any party could make the elections anybody’s game in the state. In such a scenario, the individual candidates would matter the most with some surprises expected in the May 12 elections.

Oppn shores up strong line-up

Apparently making it a "do or die" battle, the Congress has fielded at least six senior leaders - former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda (Sonepat), former Speaker Kuldeep Sharma (Karnal), former Union Minister Kumari Selja (Ambala), state Congress chief Ashok Tanwar (Sirsa), former state minister Ajay Yadav (Gurugram) and three-time MP Deepender Hooda (Rohtak)

‘Modi magic still intact’

"The people of Haryana will vote to elect Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister again. Despite Opposition claims, ‘Modi magic’ is still intact and a divided Opposition will help the BJP win all 10 seats in Haryana." Ram Bilas Sharma, Education Minister

Former taxation minister joins BJP

Karnal: Two-time MLA and former taxation minister Jai Parkash Gupta on Wednesday joined the BJP. In the last Assembly elections against Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, he remained on the second position. He is one of the bigwigs and veteran leader. Considered one of the prominent faces of the Vaish community in Karnal, Gupta was welcomed in the party fold by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar in Chandigarh at his residence. Gupta, who unsuccessfully contested his first election as an Independent in 1987, said he had joined the party unconditionally. TNS

Setback to JJP, Jind leader quits party

Hisar: In a setback to the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) in Jind, its panchayati raj cell’s state president Pradeep Gill quit the party on Thursday. He is yet to decide his next course of action.  Gill belongs to the Jind Assembly segment, which is a part of the Sonepat Lok Sabha seat.   “I was upset with the JJP leader’s ‘politics of revenge’,” he told the media in an apparent reference to JJP leader Digvijay Chautala, who is contesting from Sonepat.   JJP leaders have been talking about taking revenge on Congress’ Sonpeat candidate Bhupinder Singh Hooda, who had defeated the great grandfather of Digvijay thrice in Rohtak. TNS

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