Day’s here, some high-profile seats, keenly fought contests to look for

Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 23

When the counting for the Haryana Assembly elections begins tomorrow morning, the results of at least half a dozen constituencies will be interesting to watch out for because of the contenders contesting.

The Karnal seat where Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar is facing Tarlochan Singh of the Congress and sacked BSF jawan Tej Bahadur of the JJP is on the top of the seats to look for. Karnal is being considered a safe seat for Khattar, who won this seat by a margin of over 62,000 votes in 2014. 

This time the turnout in Karnal was among the lowest at 52.29 per cent. The BJP had set a target of winning the seat by over one lakh seat, but only 1.25 lakh voters cast their votes on Sunday.

Former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s Garhi Sampla-Kiloi Assembly seat will be another constituency to keep an eye on tomorrow. In 2005, the former CM won this seat by a margin of 1.03 lakh votes with vote share of 97 per cent.

In the next election held in 2009, Hooda won by a margin of 72,100 and his vote share went down to 80 per cent.

When he contested again in 2014, the former CM’s victory margin was reduced to 47,185 and his vote share went down to 60 per cent.

In the Lok Sabha poll held in May this year, Hooda’s son Deepender could manage a lead of 45,725 votes from the Assembly segment, though his vote share increased slightly to 62 per cent. He, however, lost the Lok Sabha seat.

This time, Hooda is facing BJP candidate Satish Nandal. Like Hooda, he is also a local Jat leader from Bohar village of this constituency.

On Uchana Kalan Assembly seat, Dushyant Chautala is facing former Union Minister Birender Singh’s wife Prem Lata. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Dushyant had got a huge lead from this seat. But in the Assembly elections held that year, he lost to Prem Lata. The JJP leader again conceded lead to Prem Lata’s son Brijendra Singh in the Lok Sabha poll this year. This time again, he is pitted in a fierce electoral contest against Prem Lata.

In Narnaud and Tohana, Dushyant’s candidates Ram Kumar Gautam and Devender Babli are giving a tough time to Finance Minister Captain Abhimanyu and state BJP chief Sunhash Barala, respectively.

Dushyant’s mother Naina Chautala shifted her base from Dabwali in Sirsa to Badhra in Bhiwani this time. Naina is also facing a tough fight against former CM Bansi Lal’s son Ranbir Mahendra and BJP’s Sukhvinder Mandi.

Abhay Singh Chautala of the INLD is facing a triangular contest with the BJP’s Pawan Beniwal and Congress’ Bharat Singh Beniwal at Ellenabad.

After a split in the INLD, the party is already in the doldrums and Abhay’s own political survival will depend on the result of the seat. 

The results of Kaithal Assembly seat will also be interesting to see where AICC media in-charge Randeep Surjewala is pitted against Lila Ram Gujjar of the saffron party in a tough electoral battle.

One of the senior most leaders of the state Congress, Surjewala had lost badly in Jind byelection in January this year where he came third after the BJP and the JJP. 

Uchana Kalan
Dushyant Chautala (JJP)

The JJP chief is pitted in tough contest against former Union Minister Birender Singh’s wife Prem Lata.

Ellenabad
Abhay Chautala (INLD)

His party is in doldrums after split in Chautala clan. Survival of INLD depends on this result.

Narnaund
Captain Abhimanyu (BJP)

The Finance Minister is pitted in tough contest against JJP’s Ram Kumar Gautam

Tohana
Subhash Barala (BJP)

The state BJP chief is pitted against JJP’s Devender Babli in a tough contest

Kaithal
Randeep Surjewala (Cong)

He lost Jind bypoll badly in January this year. Pitted in a tough contest against Lila Ram Gujjar of the BJP.

Badhra
Naina Chautala (JJP)

She shifted from Dabwali to Badhra, pitted against Ranbir of Congress in tough contest.