BJP candidate Ashok Tanwar loses at own booth, wins at Kanda’s

Anil Kakkar

Sirsa, June 5

This time, the results for the Sirsa Lok Sabha seat were surprising. The BJP’s ‘lotus ‘did not bloom and the Congress’s ‘hand’ received significant support. All eyes were on the VIP booths at Bal Bhawan and Primary School in HUDA, Sector 20. BJP candidate Ashok Tanwar lost not only at his own booth but also at the VIP booths, while he secured victory at Gopal Kanda’s booth.

At Bal Bhawan, Booth No. 20 was the polling place for Deputy CM Dushyant Chautala and BJP candidate from Hisar, Ranjit Singh. Here, BJP’s Tanwar received 162 votes, while Congress candidate Kumari Selja got 280 votes, resulting in loss for Tanwar.

Similarly, at Booth No. 26 at Primary School in HUDA, Sector 20, where Tanwar and outgoing MP Sunita Duggal voted. Tanwar received 361 votes, while Kumari Selja got 394 votes. Tanwar again lost to Kumari Selja. At Booth No. 73 in Khajanchi Dharamshala, the polling place for MLA Gopal Kanda, Tanwar received 393 votes and Kumari Selja got 142 votes, marking a loss for Selja.

Additionally, in Khari Surera village in the Ellenabad Assembly area, BJP district president Nitasha Sihag’s village, Tanwar faced a significant defeat against Kumari Selja, as he secured 525 votes against Selja’s 1,040 votes.

The political split within the Chautala family severely impacted the JJP party’s position. In the Sirsa Lok Sabha constituency, JJP candidate Ramesh Khattak was placed fourth, while INLD candidate Sandeep Lot Valmiki finished third. JJP candidate Ramesh Khattak got 20,080 votes, amounting to 1.48 per cent of the vote share, a significant drop from the 7 per cent vote share and third place secured by JJP candidate Nirmal Singh Malari in 2019. INLD candidate Sandeep Lot got 92,453 votes, securing 6.82 per cent of the votes. In 2019, INLD candidate Charanjeet Singh Rori got 88,093 votes, amounting to 6.43 per cent of the vote share. Kumari Selja of the Congress received 54.17 per cent of the votes, while Ashok Tanwar of the BJP got 34.35 per cent votes.

Notably, on Tuesday, people discussed about counting of votes in the markets since early morning. Shops opened after 9 am and people discussed the election results at tea stalls, bus stands, and the railway station. The Congress office on Begu Road was bustling with activity, while the areas near the BJP and INLD offices were quiet. Even at Tanwar’s home, there was a noticeable silence.