Kurukshetra to witness multi-cornered fight

Nitish Sharma

Kurukshetra, March 18

With Indian National Lok Dal’s secretary general and Ellenabad MLA Abhay Chautala entering the fray, the Kurukshetra Lok Sabha constituency is set to witness a multi-corner contest.

While AAP state chief and INDIA bloc candidate Sushil Gupta has already started his election campaign and has been visiting grain markets, attending public and religious events to know local issues, the INLD announced to start its campaign from March 25.

Chautala will be testing his fate for the second time from Kurukshetra. Earlier, he had contested the 2004 Lok Sabha election from Kurukshetra, but lost to Congress candidate Naveen Jindal.

INLD leaders today held a meeting to chalk out a strategy for the campaigning. Party leader Shyam Singh Rana said: “A meeting has been held with the office-bearers of the districts and block units today. The Parivartan Yatra carried out by the party has started showing its impact and the party has also inducted new members through the membership drives in each assembly constituency. The party will win the Kurukshetra Lok Sabha constituency.”

AAP state spokesperson Sumit Hindustani said: “INDIA bloc was the first to announce its candidate, while the BJP is yet to enter the fray. There will be a direct contest between the INDIA bloc candidate and the BJP, while the other parties are entering the fray just for the sake of saving their identity.”

The BJP for the second time was forced to look for a new candidate despite having sitting a MP. Newly appointed Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini was introduced as a candidate in Lok Sabha election in 2019 from Kurukshetra because Raj Kumar Saini, who was elected on BJP’s ticket in 2014 had turned rebel.

BJP leader Dhuman Singh Kirmach said: “The party is fully prepared for the election and for the party workers, party’s poll symbol ‘lotus’ is the party’s candidate. From opening the election offices to imparting training to Panna Pramkhus everything is in place. The BJP will win the seat.”