Abohar: Arun Narang bets on PM Modi's rally to retain seat, Sandeep Jakhar on social work

Raj Sadosh

Abohar, February 15

The million-rupee question being debated here is whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally on Thursday will help BJP MLA Arun Narang retain the seat that he won by defeating three-time legislator Congress stalwart Sunil Jakhar with 3,279 votes in 2017.

4-cornered contest

The SAD has fielded former Fazilka MLA Dr Mohinder Rinwa, while the AAP, which fielded Atul Nagpal of Fazilka in 2017, has given ticket to Deep Kamboj, a new entrant, making it a four-cornered contest.

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The Congress had won from the Abohar constituency in 1951, 1962, 1972, 1977, 1980, 1992, 2002, 2007 and 2012. Erstwhile, the Jan Sangh or Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates emerged winners in 1957, 1967, 1969, 1985, 1997 and 2017. Sandeep is the fourth member of Jakhar family to contest elections as a Congress candidate, his uncles Sunil Jakhar and Sajjan Kumar Jakhar and grandfather Bal Ram Jakhar had in total won seven elections since 1972.

The poll scenario is different from 2017. The BJP’s ex-ally the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has fielded Fazilka former MLA Dr Mohinder Rinwa and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which fielded Atul Nagpal of Fazilka in 2017, has given ticket to Deep Kamboj, a new entrant. With this, the contest has become four-cornered. Most of the close associates of jailed-liquor baron Shiv Lal Doda, who supported Arun Narang in 2017, were campaigning for Rinwa this time.

To make arrangements for Modi’s rally on February 17, the BJP has roped in its Rajasthan affairs incharge Arun Singh and Union Minister of State for Agriculture Kailash Choudhary, who are consulting Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Shekhawat for the show.

Meanwhile, activists of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan), who burnt effigies of PM Narendra Modi at various villages, said they would continue to protest outside the SDM offices on Wednesday.

SAD chief Sukhbir Badal and MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal have visited Abohar thrice for campaign and no senior leader of the AAP or Congress from other places has so far addressed any meeting here.

In an attempt to wrest the seat from the BJP, Sandeep Jakhar, who had organised 75 cleanliness and city beautification camps so far, presented a report card in each village besides Abohar town, giving details of development works worth Rs 718 crore that were reportedly carried out in the past few years. The BJP and SAD counter the claim asserting that funds were received from the central government.