Jind bypoll: 11 in race for BJP ticket

Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 4

Eleven persons are in the race for the BJP ticket even as no paper was received on the Day 2 of the filing of the nomination for the January 28 Jind bypoll on Friday.

Haryana Agriculture Minister OP Dhankar and BJP’s national secretary Sudha Yadav, who were on Thursday appointed observers by the party’s state election committee for the selection of candidates, met ticket aspirants and their supporters in Jind.

Over a thousand supporters of 11 BJP leaders, who are aspiring for the ticket, met the observers and demanded ticket for their respective leaders.

Former Minister Surender Barwala, Dr Krishan Midha, son of late MLA Hari Chand Midha, whose death has necessitated the poll, head of Kandela Khap Tek Ram Kandela, Jawahar Saini, Master Narendra Gogal, Rajesh Goyal, Lila Dhar Mittal, Sajjan Garg, Balkar Dhola, Om Prakash Pehal and Ram Phal Sharma are BJP leaders who met the observers and staked their claim to the BJP ticket.

“We will submit our report to the state election committee on Saturday and a decision on the ticket will be taken after that,” Dhankar said when The Tribune contacted him on phone.

Meanwhile, no nomination paper was received by the Returning Officer Virender Singh Sehrawat on the second day of filing of nomination papers.

Jind DC–cum–District Electoral Officer Amit Khatri earmarked sites for holding of rallies and installing of hoardings, posters, banners, wall paintings etc by the political parties.

Khatri said rallies would be allowed only in the new stadium ground on Haibatpur road, on the ground near the new bus stand, at new Kath Mandi on Rohtak road, on the HUDA ground opposite the BSNL building, Old Grain Market, new grain market, Rohtak road, Sector 8 HUDA ground near Polyclinic and Saini Ramlila Ground of Jind town.

For the installation of hoardings and publicity material seven sites – from Hansi Road Canal Bypass to Hansi Road Chowk, Bhiwani Road Bypass Chowk, Gohana Road Bypass near the District Jail, Rohtak Road Bypass, Safidon Road Bypass, from Saini Dharamshala to Chowk, Patiala Chowk Triangular Park and Bhiwani Road Chowk – have been earmarked, said the DC.

Khatri, however, clarified that the political parties and the candidates would have to obtain permission for the rallies and hoardings etc from the Returning Officer.