INLD bastion Ellenabad to be litmus test for BJP-JJP

Deepender Deswal

Advertisement

Tribune News Service

Hisar, September 28

The Ellenabad Assembly byelection, scheduled for October 30, will be a litmus test for the ruling BJP-JJP coalition, the INLD and the Congress.

EC guidelines in view of covid

• Gathering at meetings of star campaigners restricted to 1,000
• A maximum of 50 persons allowed at street meetings
• Those on election duty to be fully vaccinated
• One health worker as Covid nodal officer for each polling station
• Road shows and rallies on cycles and bikes banned

The byelection was necessitated after INLD leader Abhay Chautala had, on January 27, resigned from the Assembly in support of the ongoing farmers’ agitation.

The Ellenabad segment has traditionally been a stronghold of the INLD, which had won the seat in the 2019 elections in spite of a split in the party three years ago.

Former Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala won from Ellenabad in 2009. Later Abhay won the seat thrice (2010 bypoll, 2014 and 2019).

After Chautala’s release from Tihar Jail on the completion of his jail term in the JBT recruitment scam case, the INLD has been trying to resurrect its cadre by organising functions across the state.

Abhay is likely to be re-nominated for the Ellenabad byelection. He has gained the sympathy and support of farmers as he kept his word and resigned from the Assembly.

The INLD had suffered a setback after Chautala’s elder son Ajay Singh and his sons — Dushyant and Digvijay — formed the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), which is in alliance with the BJP.

Meanwhile, the ruling BJP-JJP coalition will be put to test. Though both parties had contested separately in the 2019 Assembly elections, they are likely to field a joint candidate this time. The coalition will have the advantage of being in power.

The Congress also has been trying to regain ground after two consecutive drubbings in the Assembly elections. State Congress president Kumari Selja inducted Pawan Beniwal into the party fold recently. Beniwal had contested the last Assembly poll on the BJP ticket.