Ending 15-year-old wrangling, INLD joins hands with Kanda

The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and Haryana Lokhit Party (HLP) have joined forces in Sirsa, putting an end to a 15-year-old rivalry between the Chautala family and Gopal Kanda. The alliance was officially sealed on the final day of nominations, surprising many.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had earlier considered an alliance with Kanda but chose to field its own candidate instead. Following the BJP’s decision, discussions between INLD and HLP moved swiftly, culminating in a formal alliance.

Abhay Chautala, a senior leader of the INLD, visited Gopal Kanda on Thursday at his residence in Sirsa to announce the alliance. Under this agreement, Kanda, a two-time MLA from Sirsa, will contest the seat representing the newly formed coalition.

Prior to this, Kanda had been in talks with the BJP for a possible partnership. When those negotiations fell through, he decided to run independently, making the sudden alliance with INLD a surprising turn of events.

According to the political experts, Abhay Chautala joined forces with Gopal Kanda because the Congress has fielded Bharat Singh Beniwal from Ellenabad, making the competition tougher.

Beniwal, despite past losses, has strong local support. The BJP’s Amir Chand Mehta is less of a threat since he lost badly in 2009. Additionally, INLD’s support for Kanda will help him against Congress’ Gokul in Sirsa.

Kanda, who faced legal battles related to the Geetika Sharma suicide case and spent time in Tihar Jail, has since been acquitted of all charges by the court. His political comeback is now underscored by this newfound partnership with the Chautala family.

In the run-up to the 2019 Haryana Assembly elections, the BJP expressed interest in collaborating with Gopal Kanda’s HLP. Senior party leaders, including Sunita Duggal, sought to build this alliance though it was ultimately opposed by figures such as Uma Bharti, citing Kanda’s controversial legal history. At that time, nine criminal cases, including charges of abetment to suicide and forgery, were pending against Kanda, as per his 2019 election affidavit.

Despite his legal challenges, Kanda extended support to the BJP-led Haryana government after it failed to secure a majority in 2019.

Chief Minister Nayab Saini and former CM Manohar Lal Khattar frequently met Kanda in the past couple of months, expressing interest in working together in future elections. However, internal opposition within the BJP halted the formalisation of

an alliance.