The upcoming Assembly elections in Haryana is brimming with high-stake political drama between the ruling BJP and Congress, making it one of the most anticipated contests since the Lok Sabha elections.
However, beyond the two parties, a lot is going on in the political landscape of Haryana. Besides external battles, the BJP is also facing an internal crisis after several of its key leaders resigned from the party for being denied tickets in the polls. Meanwhile, the Congress appears very confident of winning the polls, however, it remains to be seen if the Aam Aadmi Party’s plan to run solo on all 90 seats will dampen the Congress prospects by splitting the vote share. For context, the AAP contested 46 seats in the last Assembly polls but secured less than 1 per cent votes. In the Lok Sabha polls this time, it secured about 3.5 per cent votes, the data on the Election Commission website shows.
Business Standard explains why these 11 Haryana seats matter
Garhi Sampla-Kiloi: Congress’s power hub in Haryana
1) Garhi Sampla-Kiloi is the bastion of former Congress Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, one of the most important Jat leaders in the state. The Jat community makes up 25 per cent of Haryana population and is central to the Deswali-belt that comprises Rohtak, Jhajjar and Sonipat districts. Subsequently, the Congress has given 26 tickets to Jat candidates. In comparison, the BJP which shares a weak base among the Jats, has given 16 tickets to the community. Hooda, the two-time former CM of Haryana has a political career spanning five decades. He has never once lost an election. In hopes to counter him, the BJP has fielded Manju Hooda: Wife of gangster Rajesh Hooda. Manju is the daughter of a former senior Haryana policeman.
Tosham constituency: Dynasty politics to play out among two cousins
2) From Tosham, the Congress has nominated cricket administrator-turned-politician Anirudh Chaudhary. On the other hand, the BJP has countered with Shruti Choudhry, making this seat a key contest as both candidates are cousins and grandchildren of the late former Haryana CM Bansi Lal.
Ambala Cantt: Stronghold of senior BJP leader Anil Vij
3) Ambala Cantt is one of the key constituencies in Haryana, from where 71-year-old BJP leader Anil Vij has been six-time MLA. One of the most powerful ministers under former CM Manohar Lal Khattar, Vij oversaw the home ministry department in Haryana when Nuh violence took place in 2023. However, he has stayed away from the incumbent Nayab Singh Saini cabinet. Notably, when Vij filed his nominations on Thursday, he was not accompanied by any senior BJP leader.
In this seat, the Congress has chosen Parvinder Singh Pari. However, before facing off against the BJP, the party has to first contend with an internal strife, as Chitra Sarwara – the daughter of Nirmal Singh, another Congress candidate from Ambala — has decided to run as an independent candidate. Sarwara had contested the seat as an independent candidate last time and lost to Vij by 20,000 votes.
Ladwa: Why did CM Nayab Saini leave Karnal for this seat?
4) Haryana CM Saini has been leading the state since March (after Khattar’s resignation to run in the Lok Sabha elections). He was elected to the Assembly in a by-poll contest from Karnal, the stronghold of Khattar. It is learned that Saini was keen to defend his Karnal seat in the elections but he has been “reluctantly” fielded from Ladwa, which is being seen as the “safest” seat for the BJP. In the Lok Sabha polls, the BJP won 47.14 per cent of the vote in the Ladwa Assembly segment of the Kurukshetra constituency. While this is lower than the 58.5 per cent it achieved in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, it is a significant improvement over the 32.7 per cent it received in the 2019 Assembly elections.
In this seat, the Congress has named Mewa Singh, the incumbent MLA who won the 2019 polls by a narrow margin of 12,637 votes.
Badli constituency: BJP trusts Jat leader Om Prakash Dhankar
5) On Badli seat, the BJP has fielded Om Prakash Dhankar, a former Haryana BJP president, who is a Jat leader and also served as a former state minister. Dhankar, who won this seat in 2014, lost in 2019 to Congress rival Kuldeep Vats, who will also contest the coming polls to retain his seat.
Notably, Dhankar was replaced as the state unit president last year by Saini, who was then a Lok Sabha MP from Kurukshetra.
Hodal seat: Congress Haryana chief to contest this reserved constituency
6) The Hodal constituency is reserved for the scheduled castes, where the BJP decided to drop its incumbent MLA Jagdish Nayar and place a bet on Harinder Singh Ramrattan. Last time, Nayar had won this year by a margin of only about 3,300 votes. The outcome of this seat is crucial for the Congress, which gave the ticket to its state unit Chief Udai Bhan, who has represented this seat four times.
Hisar: India’s richest woman Savitri Jindal to contest independently
7) While Hisar is an important constituency in itself, this time it has gained more prominence as India’s richest woman Savitri Jindal has decided to contest from here as an independent candidate. This followed after the BJP did not give the ticket to Jindal but renominated its sitting MLA and state Health Minister Kamal Gupta. Notably, Jindal, boasting a staggering net worth of $33 billion, quit the Congress in March and switched over to the BJP. Her shift to the BJP came shortly after her son, industrialist Naveen Jindal also joined the party. Naveen is a BJP MP from Kurukshetra.
The Congress has named Ram Niwas Rara from this seat.
Kaithal: Randeep Surjewala’s son Aditya makes poll debut bid
8) Congress leader Randeep Surjewala’s son Aditya will contest the upcoming Assembly polls from Kaithal, the seat represented by his father two times. Randeep had lost the seat in 2019 to BJP’s Leela Ram Gurjar, who will try to defend his seat.
Julana constituency: Will Vinesh Phogat lock her Haryana Assembly entry?
9) One of the most high-profile constituencies this time, Julana seat ticket marks the beginning of Olympian wrestler Vinesh Phogat’s political career. She will fight the battle against BJP’s Capt Yogesh Bairagi and AAP’s Kavita Devi, also a wrestler. Phogat, who recently joined the Congress, is expected to solidify the party’s influence among farmers, youth and women.
Uchana: JJP leader Dushyant Chautala looks to cement his influence
10) Former Haryana deputy CM and JJP leader Dushyant Chautala will contest the polls from Uchana seat in Jind to defend it against BJP’s Devender Attri and Congress’ Brijendra Singh. Singh, a former IAS and BJP turncoat, joined Congress in March this year. In the 2019 elections, Chautala defeated Prem Lata, mother of Singh and wife Birender Singh, who is a former Union Minister.
Like his son, Birender Singh, was also a former Congressman, who had joined the BJP in 2014, and then made a U-turn to the Congress again.
Chautala’s re-election bid from Uchana holds significance for his party, which is experiencing a shrink in influence in Haryana. JJP had emerged as a “kingmaker” in the 2019 Assembly elections and helped the BJP to form a government.
Ellenabad: Abhay Singh Chautala eyes re-election bid
11) Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) general secretary Abhay Singh will contest the polls to retain his Ellenabad seat in Sirsa. Like JJP, INLD has also lost its influence in the Haryana political landscape. The party has been out of power in Haryana for 20 years and got a 1.74 per cent vote share in the Lok Sabha polls. Here, the Congress has named Bharat Singh Beniwal and the BJP has given a ticket to Amir Chand Mehta, who is associated with the Rashtriya Swayam Sangh.
Chautala has represented the seat since 2010. Previously, it was held by his father OP Chautala.
Karnal: What happens to Manohar Lal Khattar seat?
12) Karnal is the hot seat from where Khattar, a non-Jat leader, shaped the BJP’s leadership in Haryana during his nearly 10 years in power. This time, the saffron party has fielded Jagmohan Anand, a close aide of Khattar, while the Congress has named Sumita Virk. Anand was Khattar’s former media coordinator and ex-Karnal district president.
The upcoming Assembly elections in Haryana is brimming with high-stake political drama between the ruling BJP and Congress, making it one of the most anticipated contests since the Lok Sabha elections.
However, beyond the two parties, a lot is going on in the political landscape of Haryana. Besides external battles, the BJP is also facing an internal crisis after several of its key leaders resigned from the party for being denied tickets in the polls. Meanwhile, the Congress appears very confident of winning the polls, however, it remains to be seen if the Aam Aadmi Party’s plan to run solo on all 90 seats will dampen the Congress prospects by splitting the vote share. For context, the AAP contested 46 seats in the last Assembly polls but secured less than 1 per cent votes. In the Lok Sabha polls this time, it secured about 3.5 per cent votes, the data on the Election Commission website shows.
Business Standard explains why these 11 Haryana seats matter
Garhi Sampla-Kiloi: Congress’s power hub in Haryana
1) Garhi Sampla-Kiloi is the bastion of former Congress Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, one of the most important Jat leaders in the state. The Jat community makes up 25 per cent of Haryana population and is central to the Deswali-belt that comprises Rohtak, Jhajjar and Sonipat districts. Subsequently, the Congress has given 26 tickets to Jat candidates. In comparison, the BJP which shares a weak base among the Jats, has given 16 tickets to the community. Hooda, the two-time former CM of Haryana has a political career spanning five decades. He has never once lost an election. In hopes to counter him, the BJP has fielded Manju Hooda: Wife of gangster Rajesh Hooda. Manju is the daughter of a former senior Haryana policeman.
Tosham constituency: Dynasty politics to play out among two cousins
2) From Tosham, the Congress has nominated cricket administrator-turned-politician Anirudh Chaudhary. On the other hand, the BJP has countered with Shruti Choudhry, making this seat a key contest as both candidates are cousins and grandchildren of the late former Haryana CM Bansi Lal.
Ambala Cantt: Stronghold of senior BJP leader Anil Vij
3) Ambala Cantt is one of the key constituencies in Haryana, from where 71-year-old BJP leader Anil Vij has been six-time MLA. One of the most powerful ministers under former CM Manohar Lal Khattar, Vij oversaw the home ministry department in Haryana when Nuh violence took place in 2023. However, he has stayed away from the incumbent Nayab Singh Saini cabinet. Notably, when Vij filed his nominations on Thursday, he was not accompanied by any senior BJP leader.
In this seat, the Congress has chosen Parvinder Singh Pari. However, before facing off against the BJP, the party has to first contend with an internal strife, as Chitra Sarwara – the daughter of Nirmal Singh, another Congress candidate from Ambala — has decided to run as an independent candidate. Sarwara had contested the seat as an independent candidate last time and lost to Vij by 20,000 votes.
Ladwa: Why did CM Nayab Saini leave Karnal for this seat?
4) Haryana CM Saini has been leading the state since March (after Khattar’s resignation to run in the Lok Sabha elections). He was elected to the Assembly in a by-poll contest from Karnal, the stronghold of Khattar. It is learned that Saini was keen to defend his Karnal seat in the elections but he has been “reluctantly” fielded from Ladwa, which is being seen as the “safest” seat for the BJP. In the Lok Sabha polls, the BJP won 47.14 per cent of the vote in the Ladwa Assembly segment of the Kurukshetra constituency. While this is lower than the 58.5 per cent it achieved in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, it is a significant improvement over the 32.7 per cent it received in the 2019 Assembly elections.
In this seat, the Congress has named Mewa Singh, the incumbent MLA who won the 2019 polls by a narrow margin of 12,637 votes.
Badli constituency: BJP trusts Jat leader Om Prakash Dhankar
5) On Badli seat, the BJP has fielded Om Prakash Dhankar, a former Haryana BJP president, who is a Jat leader and also served as a former state minister. Dhankar, who won this seat in 2014, lost in 2019 to Congress rival Kuldeep Vats, who will also contest the coming polls to retain his seat.
Notably, Dhankar was replaced as the state unit president last year by Saini, who was then a Lok Sabha MP from Kurukshetra.
Hodal seat: Congress Haryana chief to contest this reserved constituency
6) The Hodal constituency is reserved for the scheduled castes, where the BJP decided to drop its incumbent MLA Jagdish Nayar and place a bet on Harinder Singh Ramrattan. Last time, Nayar had won this year by a margin of only about 3,300 votes. The outcome of this seat is crucial for the Congress, which gave the ticket to its state unit Chief Udai Bhan, who has represented this seat four times.
Hisar: India’s richest woman Savitri Jindal to contest independently
7) While Hisar is an important constituency in itself, this time it has gained more prominence as India’s richest woman Savitri Jindal has decided to contest from here as an independent candidate. This followed after the BJP did not give the ticket to Jindal but renominated its sitting MLA and state Health Minister Kamal Gupta. Notably, Jindal, boasting a staggering net worth of $33 billion, quit the Congress in March and switched over to the BJP. Her shift to the BJP came shortly after her son, industrialist Naveen Jindal also joined the party. Naveen is a BJP MP from Kurukshetra.
The Congress has named Ram Niwas Rara from this seat.
Kaithal: Randeep Surjewala’s son Aditya makes poll debut bid
8) Congress leader Randeep Surjewala’s son Aditya will contest the upcoming Assembly polls from Kaithal, the seat represented by his father two times. Randeep had lost the seat in 2019 to BJP’s Leela Ram Gurjar, who will try to defend his seat.
Julana constituency: Will Vinesh Phogat lock her Haryana Assembly entry?
9) One of the most high-profile constituencies this time, Julana seat ticket marks the beginning of Olympian wrestler Vinesh Phogat’s political career. She will fight the battle against BJP’s Capt Yogesh Bairagi and AAP’s Kavita Devi, also a wrestler. Phogat, who recently joined the Congress, is expected to solidify the party’s influence among farmers, youth and women.
Uchana: JJP leader Dushyant Chautala looks to cement his influence
10) Former Haryana deputy CM and JJP leader Dushyant Chautala will contest the polls from Uchana seat in Jind to defend it against BJP’s Devender Attri and Congress’ Brijendra Singh. Singh, a former IAS and BJP turncoat, joined Congress in March this year. In the 2019 elections, Chautala defeated Prem Lata, mother of Singh and wife Birender Singh, who is a former Union Minister.
Like his son, Birender Singh, was also a former Congressman, who had joined the BJP in 2014, and then made a U-turn to the Congress again.
Chautala’s re-election bid from Uchana holds significance for his party, which is experiencing a shrink in influence in Haryana. JJP had emerged as a “kingmaker” in the 2019 Assembly elections and helped the BJP to form a government.
Ellenabad: Abhay Singh Chautala eyes re-election bid
11) Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) general secretary Abhay Singh will contest the polls to retain his Ellenabad seat in Sirsa. Like JJP, INLD has also lost its influence in the Haryana political landscape. The party has been out of power in Haryana for 20 years and got a 1.74 per cent vote share in the Lok Sabha polls. Here, the Congress has named Bharat Singh Beniwal and the BJP has given a ticket to Amir Chand Mehta, who is associated with the Rashtriya Swayam Sangh.
Chautala has represented the seat since 2010. Previously, it was held by his father OP Chautala.
Karnal: What happens to Manohar Lal Khattar seat?
12) Karnal is the hot seat from where Khattar, a non-Jat leader, shaped the BJP’s leadership in Haryana during his nearly 10 years in power. This time, the saffron party has fielded Jagmohan Anand, a close aide of Khattar, while the Congress has named Sumita Virk. Anand was Khattar’s former media coordinator and ex-Karnal district president.
The upcoming Assembly elections in Haryana is brimming with high-stake political drama between the ruling BJP and Congress, making it one of the most anticipated contests since the Lok Sabha elections.
However, beyond the two parties, a lot is going on in the political landscape of Haryana. Besides external battles, the BJP is also facing an internal crisis after several of its key leaders resigned from the party for being denied tickets in the polls. Meanwhile, the Congress appears very confident of winning the polls, however, it remains to be seen if the Aam Aadmi Party’s plan to run solo on all 90 seats will dampen the Congress prospects by splitting the vote share. For context, the AAP contested 46 seats in the last Assembly polls but secured less than 1 per cent votes. In the Lok Sabha polls this time, it secured about 3.5 per cent votes, the data on the Election Commission website shows.
Business Standard explains why these 11 Haryana seats matter
Garhi Sampla-Kiloi: Congress’s power hub in Haryana
1) Garhi Sampla-Kiloi is the bastion of former Congress Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, one of the most important Jat leaders in the state. The Jat community makes up 25 per cent of Haryana population and is central to the Deswali-belt that comprises Rohtak, Jhajjar and Sonipat districts. Subsequently, the Congress has given 26 tickets to Jat candidates. In comparison, the BJP which shares a weak base among the Jats, has given 16 tickets to the community. Hooda, the two-time former CM of Haryana has a political career spanning five decades. He has never once lost an election. In hopes to counter him, the BJP has fielded Manju Hooda: Wife of gangster Rajesh Hooda. Manju is the daughter of a former senior Haryana policeman.
Tosham constituency: Dynasty politics to play out among two cousins
2) From Tosham, the Congress has nominated cricket administrator-turned-politician Anirudh Chaudhary. On the other hand, the BJP has countered with Shruti Choudhry, making this seat a key contest as both candidates are cousins and grandchildren of the late former Haryana CM Bansi Lal.
Ambala Cantt: Stronghold of senior BJP leader Anil Vij
3) Ambala Cantt is one of the key constituencies in Haryana, from where 71-year-old BJP leader Anil Vij has been six-time MLA. One of the most powerful ministers under former CM Manohar Lal Khattar, Vij oversaw the home ministry department in Haryana when Nuh violence took place in 2023. However, he has stayed away from the incumbent Nayab Singh Saini cabinet. Notably, when Vij filed his nominations on Thursday, he was not accompanied by any senior BJP leader.
In this seat, the Congress has chosen Parvinder Singh Pari. However, before facing off against the BJP, the party has to first contend with an internal strife, as Chitra Sarwara – the daughter of Nirmal Singh, another Congress candidate from Ambala — has decided to run as an independent candidate. Sarwara had contested the seat as an independent candidate last time and lost to Vij by 20,000 votes.
Ladwa: Why did CM Nayab Saini leave Karnal for this seat?
4) Haryana CM Saini has been leading the state since March (after Khattar’s resignation to run in the Lok Sabha elections). He was elected to the Assembly in a by-poll contest from Karnal, the stronghold of Khattar. It is learned that Saini was keen to defend his Karnal seat in the elections but he has been “reluctantly” fielded from Ladwa, which is being seen as the “safest” seat for the BJP. In the Lok Sabha polls, the BJP won 47.14 per cent of the vote in the Ladwa Assembly segment of the Kurukshetra constituency. While this is lower than the 58.5 per cent it achieved in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, it is a significant improvement over the 32.7 per cent it received in the 2019 Assembly elections.
In this seat, the Congress has named Mewa Singh, the incumbent MLA who won the 2019 polls by a narrow margin of 12,637 votes.
Badli constituency: BJP trusts Jat leader Om Prakash Dhankar
5) On Badli seat, the BJP has fielded Om Prakash Dhankar, a former Haryana BJP president, who is a Jat leader and also served as a former state minister. Dhankar, who won this seat in 2014, lost in 2019 to Congress rival Kuldeep Vats, who will also contest the coming polls to retain his seat.
Notably, Dhankar was replaced as the state unit president last year by Saini, who was then a Lok Sabha MP from Kurukshetra.
Hodal seat: Congress Haryana chief to contest this reserved constituency
6) The Hodal constituency is reserved for the scheduled castes, where the BJP decided to drop its incumbent MLA Jagdish Nayar and place a bet on Harinder Singh Ramrattan. Last time, Nayar had won this year by a margin of only about 3,300 votes. The outcome of this seat is crucial for the Congress, which gave the ticket to its state unit Chief Udai Bhan, who has represented this seat four times.
Hisar: India’s richest woman Savitri Jindal to contest independently
7) While Hisar is an important constituency in itself, this time it has gained more prominence as India’s richest woman Savitri Jindal has decided to contest from here as an independent candidate. This followed after the BJP did not give the ticket to Jindal but renominated its sitting MLA and state Health Minister Kamal Gupta. Notably, Jindal, boasting a staggering net worth of $33 billion, quit the Congress in March and switched over to the BJP. Her shift to the BJP came shortly after her son, industrialist Naveen Jindal also joined the party. Naveen is a BJP MP from Kurukshetra.
The Congress has named Ram Niwas Rara from this seat.
Kaithal: Randeep Surjewala’s son Aditya makes poll debut bid
8) Congress leader Randeep Surjewala’s son Aditya will contest the upcoming Assembly polls from Kaithal, the seat represented by his father two times. Randeep had lost the seat in 2019 to BJP’s Leela Ram Gurjar, who will try to defend his seat.
Julana constituency: Will Vinesh Phogat lock her Haryana Assembly entry?
9) One of the most high-profile constituencies this time, Julana seat ticket marks the beginning of Olympian wrestler Vinesh Phogat’s political career. She will fight the battle against BJP’s Capt Yogesh Bairagi and AAP’s Kavita Devi, also a wrestler. Phogat, who recently joined the Congress, is expected to solidify the party’s influence among farmers, youth and women.
Uchana: JJP leader Dushyant Chautala looks to cement his influence
10) Former Haryana deputy CM and JJP leader Dushyant Chautala will contest the polls from Uchana seat in Jind to defend it against BJP’s Devender Attri and Congress’ Brijendra Singh. Singh, a former IAS and BJP turncoat, joined Congress in March this year. In the 2019 elections, Chautala defeated Prem Lata, mother of Singh and wife Birender Singh, who is a former Union Minister.
Like his son, Birender Singh, was also a former Congressman, who had joined the BJP in 2014, and then made a U-turn to the Congress again.
Chautala’s re-election bid from Uchana holds significance for his party, which is experiencing a shrink in influence in Haryana. JJP had emerged as a “kingmaker” in the 2019 Assembly elections and helped the BJP to form a government.
Ellenabad: Abhay Singh Chautala eyes re-election bid
11) Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) general secretary Abhay Singh will contest the polls to retain his Ellenabad seat in Sirsa. Like JJP, INLD has also lost its influence in the Haryana political landscape. The party has been out of power in Haryana for 20 years and got a 1.74 per cent vote share in the Lok Sabha polls. Here, the Congress has named Bharat Singh Beniwal and the BJP has given a ticket to Amir Chand Mehta, who is associated with the Rashtriya Swayam Sangh.
Chautala has represented the seat since 2010. Previously, it was held by his father OP Chautala.
Karnal: What happens to Manohar Lal Khattar seat?
12) Karnal is the hot seat from where Khattar, a non-Jat leader, shaped the BJP’s leadership in Haryana during his nearly 10 years in power. This time, the saffron party has fielded Jagmohan Anand, a close aide of Khattar, while the Congress has named Sumita Virk. Anand was Khattar’s former media coordinator and ex-Karnal district president.
The upcoming Assembly elections in Haryana is brimming with high-stake political drama between the ruling BJP and Congress, making it one of the most anticipated contests since the Lok Sabha elections.
However, beyond the two parties, a lot is going on in the political landscape of Haryana. Besides external battles, the BJP is also facing an internal crisis after several of its key leaders resigned from the party for being denied tickets in the polls. Meanwhile, the Congress appears very confident of winning the polls, however, it remains to be seen if the Aam Aadmi Party’s plan to run solo on all 90 seats will dampen the Congress prospects by splitting the vote share. For context, the AAP contested 46 seats in the last Assembly polls but secured less than 1 per cent votes. In the Lok Sabha polls this time, it secured about 3.5 per cent votes, the data on the Election Commission website shows.
Business Standard explains why these 11 Haryana seats matter
Garhi Sampla-Kiloi: Congress’s power hub in Haryana
1) Garhi Sampla-Kiloi is the bastion of former Congress Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, one of the most important Jat leaders in the state. The Jat community makes up 25 per cent of Haryana population and is central to the Deswali-belt that comprises Rohtak, Jhajjar and Sonipat districts. Subsequently, the Congress has given 26 tickets to Jat candidates. In comparison, the BJP which shares a weak base among the Jats, has given 16 tickets to the community. Hooda, the two-time former CM of Haryana has a political career spanning five decades. He has never once lost an election. In hopes to counter him, the BJP has fielded Manju Hooda: Wife of gangster Rajesh Hooda. Manju is the daughter of a former senior Haryana policeman.
Tosham constituency: Dynasty politics to play out among two cousins
2) From Tosham, the Congress has nominated cricket administrator-turned-politician Anirudh Chaudhary. On the other hand, the BJP has countered with Shruti Choudhry, making this seat a key contest as both candidates are cousins and grandchildren of the late former Haryana CM Bansi Lal.
Ambala Cantt: Stronghold of senior BJP leader Anil Vij
3) Ambala Cantt is one of the key constituencies in Haryana, from where 71-year-old BJP leader Anil Vij has been six-time MLA. One of the most powerful ministers under former CM Manohar Lal Khattar, Vij oversaw the home ministry department in Haryana when Nuh violence took place in 2023. However, he has stayed away from the incumbent Nayab Singh Saini cabinet. Notably, when Vij filed his nominations on Thursday, he was not accompanied by any senior BJP leader.
In this seat, the Congress has chosen Parvinder Singh Pari. However, before facing off against the BJP, the party has to first contend with an internal strife, as Chitra Sarwara – the daughter of Nirmal Singh, another Congress candidate from Ambala — has decided to run as an independent candidate. Sarwara had contested the seat as an independent candidate last time and lost to Vij by 20,000 votes.
Ladwa: Why did CM Nayab Saini leave Karnal for this seat?
4) Haryana CM Saini has been leading the state since March (after Khattar’s resignation to run in the Lok Sabha elections). He was elected to the Assembly in a by-poll contest from Karnal, the stronghold of Khattar. It is learned that Saini was keen to defend his Karnal seat in the elections but he has been “reluctantly” fielded from Ladwa, which is being seen as the “safest” seat for the BJP. In the Lok Sabha polls, the BJP won 47.14 per cent of the vote in the Ladwa Assembly segment of the Kurukshetra constituency. While this is lower than the 58.5 per cent it achieved in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, it is a significant improvement over the 32.7 per cent it received in the 2019 Assembly elections.
In this seat, the Congress has named Mewa Singh, the incumbent MLA who won the 2019 polls by a narrow margin of 12,637 votes.
Badli constituency: BJP trusts Jat leader Om Prakash Dhankar
5) On Badli seat, the BJP has fielded Om Prakash Dhankar, a former Haryana BJP president, who is a Jat leader and also served as a former state minister. Dhankar, who won this seat in 2014, lost in 2019 to Congress rival Kuldeep Vats, who will also contest the coming polls to retain his seat.
Notably, Dhankar was replaced as the state unit president last year by Saini, who was then a Lok Sabha MP from Kurukshetra.
Hodal seat: Congress Haryana chief to contest this reserved constituency
6) The Hodal constituency is reserved for the scheduled castes, where the BJP decided to drop its incumbent MLA Jagdish Nayar and place a bet on Harinder Singh Ramrattan. Last time, Nayar had won this year by a margin of only about 3,300 votes. The outcome of this seat is crucial for the Congress, which gave the ticket to its state unit Chief Udai Bhan, who has represented this seat four times.
Hisar: India’s richest woman Savitri Jindal to contest independently
7) While Hisar is an important constituency in itself, this time it has gained more prominence as India’s richest woman Savitri Jindal has decided to contest from here as an independent candidate. This followed after the BJP did not give the ticket to Jindal but renominated its sitting MLA and state Health Minister Kamal Gupta. Notably, Jindal, boasting a staggering net worth of $33 billion, quit the Congress in March and switched over to the BJP. Her shift to the BJP came shortly after her son, industrialist Naveen Jindal also joined the party. Naveen is a BJP MP from Kurukshetra.
The Congress has named Ram Niwas Rara from this seat.
Kaithal: Randeep Surjewala’s son Aditya makes poll debut bid
8) Congress leader Randeep Surjewala’s son Aditya will contest the upcoming Assembly polls from Kaithal, the seat represented by his father two times. Randeep had lost the seat in 2019 to BJP’s Leela Ram Gurjar, who will try to defend his seat.
Julana constituency: Will Vinesh Phogat lock her Haryana Assembly entry?
9) One of the most high-profile constituencies this time, Julana seat ticket marks the beginning of Olympian wrestler Vinesh Phogat’s political career. She will fight the battle against BJP’s Capt Yogesh Bairagi and AAP’s Kavita Devi, also a wrestler. Phogat, who recently joined the Congress, is expected to solidify the party’s influence among farmers, youth and women.
Uchana: JJP leader Dushyant Chautala looks to cement his influence
10) Former Haryana deputy CM and JJP leader Dushyant Chautala will contest the polls from Uchana seat in Jind to defend it against BJP’s Devender Attri and Congress’ Brijendra Singh. Singh, a former IAS and BJP turncoat, joined Congress in March this year. In the 2019 elections, Chautala defeated Prem Lata, mother of Singh and wife Birender Singh, who is a former Union Minister.
Like his son, Birender Singh, was also a former Congressman, who had joined the BJP in 2014, and then made a U-turn to the Congress again.
Chautala’s re-election bid from Uchana holds significance for his party, which is experiencing a shrink in influence in Haryana. JJP had emerged as a “kingmaker” in the 2019 Assembly elections and helped the BJP to form a government.
Ellenabad: Abhay Singh Chautala eyes re-election bid
11) Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) general secretary Abhay Singh will contest the polls to retain his Ellenabad seat in Sirsa. Like JJP, INLD has also lost its influence in the Haryana political landscape. The party has been out of power in Haryana for 20 years and got a 1.74 per cent vote share in the Lok Sabha polls. Here, the Congress has named Bharat Singh Beniwal and the BJP has given a ticket to Amir Chand Mehta, who is associated with the Rashtriya Swayam Sangh.
Chautala has represented the seat since 2010. Previously, it was held by his father OP Chautala.
Karnal: What happens to Manohar Lal Khattar seat?
12) Karnal is the hot seat from where Khattar, a non-Jat leader, shaped the BJP’s leadership in Haryana during his nearly 10 years in power. This time, the saffron party has fielded Jagmohan Anand, a close aide of Khattar, while the Congress has named Sumita Virk. Anand was Khattar’s former media coordinator and ex-Karnal district president.
