Page 35 - 15MAY2019E

politics

• Joining hands AAP is Otherwise thrice
contesting the Lok Sabha MP Dr Arvind Shar-
poll in Haryana for the first ma, who recently
time in alliance with JJP joined the BJP after
quitting BSP and
Congress earlier,
was expected to get
the BJP ticket keep-
ing in mind his win-
nable factor.
While the wily
veteran politician
former Chief Minis-
ter of Haryana Om
Prakash Chautala
is cooling his heels
in the Tihar jail
serving a 10-year
jail term in the JBT
teachers recruit-
ment scam, his son
and former MP
Ajay Chautala, also
serving a similar
jail term has been
twice from Ambala (reserved) and twice Congress cancelled the candidature of given a 21-days unconditional furlough.
from Sirsa (reserved), Kailsho Saini from MLA Lalit Nagar from Faridabad and Unmindful of the accusation that the
Kurukshetra twice, Chandrawati, Shruti instead named former MP Avtar Singh Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) alliance with
and Sudha Yadav represented Bhiwani, Bhadana, who was on the verge of quit- the Jannanayk Janata Party (JJP) facili-
Bhiwani-Mahendergarh and Mahen- ting the Congress after being denied the tated his release from the jail, Ajay Chau-
dergarh seats once, respectively.The ticket. Bhadana had recently joined the tala has swung into action immediately
constituencies of Karnal, Rohtak, Hisar, Congress after leaving BJP. and has started canvassing for his newly
Faridabad, Gurugram and Sonepat have The Congress gave Kurukshetra seat formed party JJP which is contesting the
never sent a woman to Parliament. to Nirmal Singh after former MP and Lok Sabha election for the first time now.
It is for the first time that the father- industrialist Naveen Jindal declined to Meanwhile the Dera Sacha Sauda
son duo of Bhupinder Singh Hooda and fight from here. Hooda’s candidature followers are in a quandary over which
Deependeer Hooda will be contesting from Sonepat is significant and signals party to vote for in LS poll. In the last gen-
Lok Sabha poll together on the Congress the Congress’ urge to put its best foot for- eral election held in 2014, the Dera Sacha
ticket from Sonepat and Rohtak seats. ward in Haryana. That’s the reason why Sauda had reportedly given overwhelm-
Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s candidature sitting Rajya Sabha MP from Haryana ing support to the BJP and the BJP went
from Sonepat is significant. It signals the Kumari Selja is also contesting. on to register a facile victory. The BJP had
urge of the Congress to put its best foot Stakes are very high for the BJP and formed the government on its own for
forward in Haryana. Sitting Rajya Sabha party candidate Sanjay Bhatia in Karnal the first time in Haryana in 2014.
MP from Haryana Kumari Selja is also Lok Sabha constituency. Bhatia had ear- The Dera has got good influence on
contesting the LS poll this time around as lier contested two assembly elections voters in four Lok Sabha constituencies
the Congress is keen to win as many seats unsuccessfully, but hopes to be lucky the of Sirsa, Hisarm Sonepat and Rohtak.
as possible. third time around now with the full sup- But the Dera Head Gurmeet Ram Rahim
Manwhile Bhavya Bishnoi, son of Kul- port of the Chief Minister Manohar Lal Singh is in jail now. No wonder the Dera
deep Bishnoi, the sitting Adampur MLA, khattar and the party cadre, “outsider’ tag Sacha Sauda followers are directionless.
will be the Congress candidate from nowithstanding. They are reportedly in two minds which
Hisar and former Haryana Speaker Kul- According to sources, apart from be- party to vote. They have no one to guide
deep Sharma will contest from Karnal, ing a Punjabi and close to Haryana chief them in this regard. BJP is not averse to
the segment where his father Chiranji Lal minister Manohar Lal Khattar, old associ- seeking their support again.
Sharma used to hold sway once. ation with RSS also helped Sanjay Bhatia
In another major development the get the ticket from Karnal Lok Sabha seat. letters@tehelka.com

Tehelka / 15 may 2019 35 www.Tehelka.com