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The Assembly election at Kaithal constituency is likely to be a battle of prestige. The sitting MLA and Congress communication chief Randeep Singh Surjewala is making efforts to retain the constituency, while the BJP is confident of a win after the result of the recently concluded Lok Sabha election.
It has been a prestigious seat for the Congress and INLD, the traditional rivals in the state. In the last Assembly elections, Surjewala polled 65,524 votes, the INLD’s Kailash Bhagat 41,849 votes and the BJP’s Rao Surender Singh, who came third, got 38,171 votes.
While the sitting MLA has alleged that all developmental projects have come to a halt during the past five years in Kaithal, residents observed that ever since Surjewala became active in national politics, his connection with the local voters had decreased significantly.
“It is going to be a tough fight between Randeep Surjewala and the BJP. It all depends on the candidate who gets ticket from the BJP,” remarked a resident.
“The split in the INLD has badly affected the party’s prospects while the Congress hasn’t been able to put up a united front against the BJP, said a local shopkeeper.
Rakesh Sardana, municipal committee member, said: “It is going to be Randeep versus the BJP. The saffron party has the advantage as people are of the view that there is no benefit of sitting in the Opposition. Randeep has developed and renovated many parks, stadiums, Bhai Udai Singh Fort and a Shaheedi Smarak but poor drainage and no parking facilities are a couple of issues that the people of Kaithal have been struggling with. He has the vision but the problem is that he is in the Opposition.”
The Congress had announced a mini PGI in Kaithal but it remained an announcement only. Though the civil hospital has been upgraded from 100 beds to 200 beds, the shortage of doctors continues to be a matter of concern.
The bank square project worth Rs 38 crore has been hanging fire due to allegations of corruption. Stray cattle, poor sewerage, potholed roads, allegations of corruption in the execution of public works and delayed projects are some of the issues plaguing the constituency.
Surjewala said that even the Kaithal-Ambala NH-65, foundation stone for which was laid by the PM with great fanfare in 2014, could not be completed in 5 years.
Total voters 1,99,956
1,06,930 Men
93,026 Women
Probable candidates Congress: Randeep Surjewala
BJP: Rao Surinder Singh, Sanjay Bhardwaj
INLD: Ranveer Parashar, Sanjeev Chhot
JJP: Ashok Bansal, Ram Phal Khurana
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