Follow Us
Deepender Deswal
Tribune News Service
Hisar, January 21
The multi-cornered contest in the Jind byelection involves high stakes for two political families — the Chautalas and the Surjewalas — who are face to face for the fifth time in an Assembly election.
With both having won two contests each, this byelection may decide the scoreline between the two political families on the silver jubilee of their rivalry in Haryana politics.
BJP candidate Krishan Middha is facing a serious challenge from Randeep Singh Surjewala of the Congress, JJP’s Digvijay Singh Chautala and INLD’s local face Umed Redhu.
Rebel BJP MP Raj Kumar Saini has nominated Vinod Ashri as the nominee of his newly formed Loktantra Suraksha Party. Political experts say it will be a big boost if either Randeep or Digvijay wins in Jind.
“The bypoll is a contest within a contest for the two leaders. A defeat for both of them too has political significance,” said Pawan Kumar Bansal, political expert and author of three books on Haryana politics.
Political rivalry between the two families started in 1993 when Digvijay's grandfather Om Prakash Chautala contested against Randeep in the Narwana byelection. Narwana is the hometown of the Surjewalas. Shamsher Surjewala had been elected MLA from here in 1967, 1977, 1982 and 1991.
In 1993, when he was sent to the Rajya Sabha, the party fielded his son Randeep (26) in the byelection. Chautala entered the fray from the Jat-dominated segment and defeated newcomer Randeep. In the next three polls, they won alternatively from Narwana in 1996, 2000 and 2005.
The rivalry came to an end when the Narwana seat was declared reserved for Scheduled Caste in delimitation in 2008. In 2009, Randeep shifted to Kaithal and Chautala contested from Uchana Kalan in Jind and Ellanabad in Sirsa, winning from both seats.
“The Jind bypoll has reignited their political rivalry. In fact, Surjewala claims dominance in Jind by virtue of this region being his home. The region suits Jat politics of the Chautala clan,” said Bansal.
Past contests
1993: Chautala beats Randeep by 18,955 votes
1996: Randeep wins by 849 votes, Chautala third
2000: Chautala defeats Randeep by 2,194 votes
2006: Randeep pips Chautala by 1,859 votes
1
2
4
7
9