Multiple factors spice up electoral contest in Meham

Ravinder Saini

Advertisement

Tribune News Service

Rohtak, August 18

The Meham Assembly segment, which hit the headlines of the nation following large-scale violence during a bypoll in 1990 that led to the killing of an Independent candidate, has again drawn the people’s attention due to multiple and interesting political factors in the run-up to the Assembly poll scheduled on October 1.

Four-time former MLA Anand Singh Dangi, who has been the Congress face in Meham for the past seven Assembly polls, has not applied for party ticket this time. He has passed on the electoral baton to his son Balram Dangi, who is actively carrying out a public-contact programme in the constituency.

Balram is vying for Congress ticket from Meham for which 27 other aspirants have applied.

Anand Dangi, who started his political journey as a village sarpanch and rose to become an MLA and minister, faced defeat at the hands of Independent candidate Balraj Kundu by a margin of over 12,000 votes in the previous Assembly poll held in 2019.

A businessman before he took the political plunge, Kundu while putting all speculations to rest has announced seeking re-election from Meham but this time under the aegis of his own ‘Haryana Jansevak Party’ that was floated by him in September last year.

Interestingly, the Meham MLA has also declared to field his wife Paramjeet Kundu from Julana segment of Jind district. The announcements were made at a public meeting organised by him in Meham yesterday. He also called upon his supporters to contact their relatives, friends and other known electors in Julana to ensure the victory of his wife. Kundu has been running several buses from his own pocket to ferry girl students to colleges and universities in Rohtak from Meham. He has also recently launched such a free bus service in Julana as well.

On the other hand, BJP leader Shamsher Kharkara’s wife, Radha Ahlawat, too has been quite active in Meham for the past several months and as per party sources, Shamsher is interested in fielding her from Meham on BJP ticket. Shamsher has unsuccessfully contested Assembly polls thrice (twice on BJP and once Independent) from Meham. However, he too is in the race for the ticket.

Former Indian kabaddi team’s skipper Deepak Hooda too is seeking BJP ticket from Meham. He has not only organised sports events in various villages of Meham Assembly segment but also been carrying out public contact programmes. Hooda is married to international boxer Saweety Boora. Besides them, the BJP’s state media co-incharge Shamsher Kharak, who has good rapport with the party’s senior leaders, is a contender for the party ticket. Mahant Satish Dass, who contested Assembly poll on INLD ticket from Meham in 2014, is also seeking the BJP ticket.

As far as the Congress is concerned, former Registrar of Ch Devi Lal University Sirsa, Dr Manoj Siwach, who is the son of former Meham MLA Umed Singh, MDU Teachers’ Association president Dr Vikas Siwach, Akhil Bhartiya Adarsh Jat Mahasabha national spokesman Dr Deepak Rathi, Jagjeet Singh Suhag, Surendra Pawar and his wife Asha Panwar, Nirmala Balhara and Mahipal Singh Gill are among the ticket aspirants.

Bypoll cancelled twice in 1990

• Former Deputy PM Devi Lal romped home victorious from the Meham Assembly segment in 1982, 1985 (bypoll) and 1987
• Another bypoll in Meham was necessitated in 1990 when Devi Lal became Deputy PM after winning the Rohtak LS poll in 1989
• The bypoll in 1990 was cancelled twice. First due to booth capturing and secondly due to the violence that led to killing of an Independent candidate