Litmus test for Khattar to secure all five segments in Karnal district

The Assembly poll in Karnal district appears to be a crucial test for former Haryana Chief Minister and Union Power Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, who is also a Member of Parliament from Karnal.

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In the recently held Lok Sabha elections, Khattar secured a lead across all nine Assembly segments of the Karnal Lok Sabha constituency — five in Karnal district and four in Panipat district. He had won the Lok Sabha seat, defeating Congress candidate Divyanshu Budhiraja, with the largest lead of 58,632 votes in the Panipat City Assembly segment, followed by 47,690 votes in Panipat Rural, 34,624 in Karnal, 32,138 in Gharaunda, 21,915 in Indri, 18,337 in Samalkha, 10,885 in Nilokheri, 6,770 in Israna, and 1,654 in Assandh.

In the 2019 Assembly elections, the BJP won three seats—Karnal, Gharaunda, and Indri — while the Congress claimed the Assandh seat and an Independent candidate won Nilokheri.

Political analysts believe the BJP is facing a challenging situation this time. Except for Assandh, where the party is engaged in a multi-cornered contest, the BJP is in a direct battle with the Congress in the remaining four seats.

Khattar, whose picture is absent from the backdrop of a rally held by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in Assandh, remains one of the BJP’s star campaigners. He is actively holding party-level meetings with workers, leaders, and prominent people, ensuring all efforts are made to secure victory in all five segments of the district.

“Manohar Lal ji is reaching out to all sections of society by holding meetings. With his guidance, we will win all five seats of Karnal district by a huge margin. Our workers are also full of enthusiasm,” said Brij Gupta, working district president.

Political analysts have pointed out that as the campaigns intensify, all eyes are on Khattar to see if he can maintain his winning streak in the Assembly elections, as he did in the Lok Sabha polls.

Dr Kushal Pal, a political analyst and principal at Indira Gandhi National College, Ladwa, said the BJP seems to face anti-incumbency after two terms in power. This is a significant challenge, especially for Khattar, who was twice elected MLA from Karnal.

“Khattar being replaced as Chief Minister and his absence from major rallies sends a negative signal. The absence of the “CM City” tag for Karnal, which was a crucial factor in past elections, could also impact the party’s performance,” he added.