Parties in fix as aspirants lobby hard for Rania ticket

Sirsa, August 20

With the announcement of the Haryana Assembly elections, the race for tickets has intensified, especially in the Rania constituency of Sirsa district. Local leaders are presenting their claims for the ticket, with a particular focus on the BJP and the Congress. They have begun making frequent trips to Delhi and Chandigarh for this purpose.

The Rania seat, previously held by Ranjit Singh Chautala, is now vacant. Chautala, who won as an Independent in 2019 and later joined the BJP, resigned to run for the Lok Sabha seat for Hisar but lost.

Now, Ranjit Chautala plans to contest the upcoming Assembly election, even if the BJP does not give him a ticket. He may run as an independent if necessary. The Haryana Lokhit Party (HLP) has nominated Dhawal Kanda, son of Gobind Kanda, for the seat. Chautala is unhappy with this and the potential BJP-HLP alliance. He has criticised Kanda while reaffirming his own candidacy.

The Rania constituency, which was formed after the 2009 delimitation, consists of 90 villages. In its first election, Indian National Lok Dal’s (INLD) Krishan Kamboj defeated Congress’s Ranjit Singh. In 2014, INLD’s Ramchandra Kamboj won the seat, defeating both Halopa’s Gobind Kanda and Congress’s Ranjit Singh. In 2019, after the Congress denied him a ticket, Ranjit Singh contested as an Independent and defeated both Gobind Kanda of the HLP and Ramchandra Kamboj of the BJP.

The constituency is dominated by Punjabi and Bagri communities, with Kamboj, Kumhar, Jat, and Sikh voters also playing a significant role. Historically, caste dynamics have been crucial in Rania, with Jats and non-Jats competing fiercely. The seat has seen two Kamboj and one Jat candidate emerge victorious in the past elections.

Within the BJP, alongside Ranjit Singh, Ramchandra Kamboj and district BJP president Shishpal Kamboj are also vying for the ticket.

Meanwhile, the Congress has 27 applicants for its ticket, including strong contenders like Sandeep Nehra, son of former Education Minister Jagdish Nehra, and Vinit Kamboj, national secretary of the All India Youth Congress.

INLD’s Arjun Chautala has a strong chance of securing his party’s ticket and has already begun his campaign. Although the party is yet to make an official announcement, his candidacy seems likely. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is also eyeing the Rania seat, buoyed by its success in recent panchayat elections where three district councillors from the constituency won. However, Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) lacks a strong foothold in the area.

The HLP has officially nominated Dhawal Kanda as its candidate, but the party has struggled to secure a victory in the previous elections. As the election approaches, Rania remains a hotly contested seat with various candidates and political dynamics at play.

Ranjit Singh may contest as independent

Now, with the Rania seat open, Ranjit Singh has made it clear that he will contest from the seat, whether the BJP grants him a ticket or not. His firm stance suggests that if the BJP denies him the ticket, he may run as an Independent candidate again.

Dominated by Punjabi, Bagri communities

• The Rania constituency, which was formed after the 2009 delimitation, consists of 90 villages.
• The constituency is dominated by Punjabi and Bagri communities, with Kamboj, Kumhar, Jat, and Sikh voters also playing a significant role.
• Historically, caste dynamics have been crucial in Rania, with Jats and non-Jats competing fiercely. The seat has seen two Kamboj and one Jat candidate emerge victorious in the past elections.