As Haryana gears up for a fierce assembly election, the final election campaign concluded on Thursday evening, which witnessed an intense battle between the ruling BJP party and the Congress, with regional parties like Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) joining the fray. Thus, setting the stage for a fierce political contest across the state.
In the backdrop of the incoming assembly election, here is a full recap of key constituencies & their candidates, which can play a decisive role in shaping the state’s political future.
Haryana’s Key Constituency & Its Candidates
1) Ladwa Seat
With Haryana’s current CM Nayab Singh Saini contesting from Ladwa, this Kurukshetra’s seat has now become important more than ever. With a presence of sizeable OBC population and enjoying a substantial backing from the community, the BJP largely considers Ladwa a safe seat.
But in this election Saini is set to take on congress candidate & sitting MLA Mewa Singh-who won the seat in 2019 assembly election, despite BJP winning the state. Meanwhile, the AAP has nominated Joga Singh for the constituency.
However interestingly, no party has won this seat for second consecutive term. Additionally, it was carved out from Thanesar district in 2009.
2) Garhi Sampla-Kiloi Seat
The Garhi Sampla-Kiloi assembly constituency in Rohtak is one of the key constituencies to watch on October 5, as it is a general category assembly seat.
From this high stake constituency, the Congress has nominated former Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda. Famous for his Jat-centric agricultural policies & rural development, Hooda is set to take on BJP Candidate Manju Hooda, who currently serves as the chairperson of the Rohtak Zila Parishad.
But notably, this seat is considered Hooda’s stronghold, as he has won election from this seat thrice- 2019, 2014 & 2009 assembly elections. Moreover in 2019 assembly elections, he defeated the BJP Candidate Satish Nandal with a margin of 58,000 votes. Additionally, AAP has nominated Pravin Guskhani for the constituency.
3) Uchana Kalan Seat
Located in Jind district, Uchana Kalan is a general category seat and is one of the nine assembly constituencies that make up the Hisar parliamentary seat.
From this seat, ex deputy CM and JJP Chief Dushyant Chautala is going to fight the election and this constituency represents his family’s legacy, as he carries the political legacy of his grandfather, former CM Om Prakash Chautala, and his great-grandfather, former Deputy PM Tau Devi Lal.
However, Chautala faces significant challenges as his party struggles with the erosion of its traditional Jat voter base, which is frustrated with him for not supporting the farming community during the agitation against the withdrawn farm laws.
The contest has also become multi-cornered, with the Congress nominating former IAS officer Brijendra Singh, the AAP selecting Pawan Fauji, and the BJP putting forward Devender Attri as its candidate for the seat.
3) Julana Seat
The fight for Jind’s Julana seat now become interesting as congress party has decided to field Olympian wrestler-turned-politician Vinesh Phogat, who narrowly missed silver medal in recent 2024 Paris olympics from this seat, which is also the hometown of her in-laws.
In this constituency, Vinesh will compete against BJP’s Captain Yogesh Bairagi, who is a former commercial pilot and the current vice president of Haryana’s BJP youth wing, Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), while AAP has nominated former WWE star Kavita Dalal for the seat.
4) Ellenabad Seat
Another important seat to watch is the Ellenabad assembly constituency in Sirsa district, which has been a stronghold for the INLD since the year 2000.
Party leader Abhay Singh Chautala has won the seat four times since 2010, while his father, Om Prakash Chautala, claimed victory in 2009. Currently, Abhay is seeking re-election after winning in the 2019 assembly election, where he defeated BJP candidate Pawan Beniwal by a margin of 12,000 votes.
Meanwhile, the BJP has chosen Amir Chand Mehta as its candidate, while the AAP has put forward Manish Arora for this seat.
5) Rewari Seat
Predominantly dominated by the Yadav community, this seat plays a crucial role in the politics of south Haryana and has a long history of dynastic politics.
For this seat, the Congress has nominated Chiranjeev Rao, the son of six time MLA & captain Ajay Singh Yadav, while the BJP has selected Lakshman Singh Yadav. Furthermore, the AAP has put forth Satish Yadav as its candidate for the assembly election.
6) Gurgaon Seat
The contest for the Millennium City in NCR, Gurgaon, is shaping up to be interesting, as Congress has nominated Mohit Grover, a young Punjabi candidate who ran as an independent in 2019 but lost. The BJP has chosen Mukesh Sharma, while the AAP has selected Nishant Anand.
In the 2019 Assembly elections, BJP’s Sudhir Singla secured victory, Umesh Aggarwal won in 2014, and in 2009, independent candidate Sukhbeer claimed the seat.
Hence, It remains to be seen who emerges victorious in these key seats during the 2024 Haryana elections, which goes on polls tomorrow at October 5, 2024, with results to be announced on October 8.
