In Thanesar, BJP MLA Sudha preps up for tough battle amid challenge by Cong

Tribune News Service

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Kurukshetra, August 30

After a close contest in the previous Assembly elections, the BJP and the Congress are expected to have another close battle in the Thanesar Assembly constituency of Kurukshetra district.

The Thanesar constituency is being currently represented by BJP MLA and Minister of State for Urban Local Bodies Subhash Sudha.

In 1967, 1968 and 1972 the seat was won by the Congress, and in 1977 Janta Party clinched it from the Congress and then it was represented by the Lok Dal MLAs in 1982 and 1987. However, in the 1990 bye-election, the Janta Dal won the seat, and in 1991, the Congress again won the seat but failed to retain it in 1996 as it was won by the Social Action Party candidate. In the Assembly elections of 2000, the seat was won by the INLD, by the Congress in 2005 and again by the INLD in 2009. The BJP won the seat for the first time in 2014, when it was won by Subhash Sudha, who managed to retain it in the 2019 Assembly election.

In 2014, Subhash Sudha had defeated sitting INLD MLA and the then party state Chief Ashok Arora. However in 2019 election, the four-time MLA Ashok Arora contested the election on Congress ticket but lost the election to Subhash Sudha by a margin of 842 votes.

During the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, in Thanesar Assembly constituency, BJP candidate Naveen Jindal got 72,433 votes, while Sushil Gupta got 53,900 votes.

For the BJP, sitting MLA Subhash Sudha is sweating it out in the field to retain the seat for the third consecutive time, whereas for the Congress, Ashok Arora, who is expected to get the party ticket, is set to put up a strong fight.

However, several other leaders in both parties have also staked their claims on the tickets. In the BJP, Jai Bhagwan (DD) Sharma had been running a campaign in Thanesar to seek public support and stake his claim on the party ticket.

A political expert said, “The BJP and the Congress had a close contest in the previous elections and the same is being expected in the upcoming elections. The BJP needs special efforts to counter the anti-incumbency factory as it is getting a strong challenge from the Congress. The Congress is also confident after the Lok Sabha elections. Subhash Sudha became the Minister of State, but didn’t get enough time to work as a minister or leave any special impact on the minds of people. The BJP’s move of fielding Naveen Jindal in the Lok Sabha elections went in the favour of the saffron party and Jindal’s role will be crucial in the Assembly elections too.”