Congress, JJP, INLD yet to announce candidates for Hisar Lok Sabha seat

Deepender Deswal

Hisar, April 2

As the BJP has already fielded Haryana Energy Minister Ranjit Singh from the Hisar seat, the electorate has been eagerly waiting for the candidates of the opposition parties — Congress, JJP and INLD.

Political experts said that the BJP has already taken advantage of early announcement of the candidate. “The Congress should not delay in announcing the party candidate for Hisar, which is set to be a direct contest,” said an expert. It was added that the JJP and INLD have good presence in the segment and the potential to influence the outcome of the election.

The Congress sources said that the central party leadership, which held a meeting in Delhi, has discussed some names for Haryana, including Hisar. “The names of probable candidates — including former Union Minister Jai Prakash, former Deputy Chief Minister Chander Mohan, former Hisar BJP MP Brijendra Singh, and retired IAS officer Chander Prakash — were discussed in the meeting,” said a party source.

The sources revealed that the party leadership discussed the weaknesses and strengths of all the candidates in the meeting. “The candidate is likely to be announced in the next three-four days. Intense tussle has been going on in the party over the Hisar ticket. Right now, it cannot be said who is the front-runner,” said a leader.

Meanwhile, a political expert said that the BJP’s decision to field Ranjit Singh has irked some people in the party, who were aspiring for the ticket. Chander Prakash, a resident of Mirchpur village in Narnaund Assembly segment, commented that denial of the BJP ticket to former Finance Minister Capt Abhimanyu has changed the equations in there. “With Capt Abhimanyu given charge of Assam in the General Elections, his workers are unhappy with the party,” he said.

Bansi Lal of Bahbalpur village in Barwala Assembly segment here said that Ranjit Singh has a clean image. “Though he is new to the BJP, he has been in regular contact with the people of Hisar. The Congress will have to make a calculated move in the selection of its candidate, if the party wants to give a fight to the BJP in Hisar,” he said. However, Lal added that the BJP leader Kuldeep Bishnoi’s supporters are also unhappy with the party over ticket allocation to Singh.

The INLD is likely to declare its party candidate tomorrow in Hisar, but the JJP seems to be taking a longer time to finalise its nominee.