With candidates of key political parties filing their nominations on Thursday for the upcoming Jind by-poll in Haryana, slated for January 28, the stage is all set for a a four-cornered contest.
While the ruling BJP has fielded Krishan Middha, son of late Indian National Lok Dal legislator Hari Chand Middha, the Congress move to field Randeep Singh Surjewala is being seen by political observers as a sign that the party’s central leadership was taking the bypoll seriously and willing to take a calculated risk ahead of the Parliamentary election.
The bypoll to the Jind Assembly seat was necessitated after Hari Chand Middha, who represented the constituency passed away in August last year.
Chautala’s grandson in fray
With an aim to retain the seat the INLD had fielded Umed Singh Redhu while the Jannayak Janta Party, which was launched last month after a split in INLD had announced Digvijay Singh Chautala — grandson of former chief minister and INLD’s national president Om Prakash Chautala.
Riding high on confidence after sweeping recent municipal polls in the state, the ruling BJP would like to wrest the seat from the INLD in the by-poll, setting up the victory tone ahead of Parliamentary polls while the Congress, which is full of the new-found confidence after its recent wins in Assembly polls in three States, would want to prove its mass base in the ‘Jat’ heartland.