Ellenabad bypoll: CM to hit campaign trail tomorrow

Pradeep Sharma

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 25

Political bigwigs, including Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, his deputy Dushyant Chautala and Congress star campaigners, will spice up the election scene in the final phase of campaigning for the October 30 Ellenabad byelection.

With just three days remaining for the election campaign to end (October 28), Khattar will hit the campaign trail in favour of BJP-JJP candidate Gobind Kanda on October 27 and Dushyant will campaign in the Assembly segment on October 26.

Dushyant’s younger brother and JJP secretary general Digvijay Chautala had been camping in the constituency for the past several days.

“Khattar will provide the final push to the BJP-JJP election campaign after an intensive canvassing by the alliance leaders, including ministers and top party office-bearers,” Sanjay Sharma, Haryana BJP’s media in charge, told The Tribune today.

Dushyant’s campaign against his uncle and INLD leader Abhay Chautala, who is seeking re-election from the seat, will be keenly watched by the electorate and observers as it would be for the first time that the JJP and INLD leaders would be face to face in Ellenabad since the 2019 Assembly elections.

In the run-up to the October 2019 Assembly poll, Dushyant had walked away from INLD and floated a new political party, Jannayak Janata Party (JJP), in December 2018. The JJP secured 10 seats in the 2019 poll and later cobbled together an alliance with the BJP to form the government in Haryana.

Meanwhile, Deepender Hooda, Rajya Sabha member and son of former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, entered the election campaign along with several Congress MLA to give a boost to Congress candidate Pawan Beniwal.

Earlier, Bhupinder Hooda had also campaigned in the Assembly segment while state Congress president Kumari Selja had held a series of election rallies in the constituency.

Another senior Congress leader from Haryana, who is also Karnataka affairs in charge, Randeep Surjewala is yet to campaign in the Assembly segment apparently due to his preoccupation with the party affairs in Karnataka.

Former Chief Minister and INLD patriarch Om Prakash Chautala and Abhay’s father had been campaigning hard for his son in the crucial bypoll where stakes high, especially for the INLD.

Face-off between JJP, INLD

Dushyant Chautala’s campaign against his uncle and INLD leader Abhay Chautala, who is seeking re-election from the seat, will be keenly watched by the electorate and observers as it would be for the first time that JJP and INLD leaders would be face to face in Ellenabad since the 2019 Assembly elections.