Almost two months after the demise of his father Hari Chand Middha, a two-time INLD MLA, his son Krishan Middha joined the BJP in November 2018. Since then, he was seen as party’s natural choice for the Jind bypoll. But entry of Congress’s Randeep Singh Surjewala and Lok Sabha MP Dushyant Chautala’s brother, Digvijay Chautala, has made the poll battle tough for him. Middha spoke to The Indian Express about his strategy in fighting the high profile election.
Randeep Singh Surjewala claims that Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and the BJP leadership could not find a BJP worker for Jind bypoll and imported a candidate.
I have all the respect for Surjewala sahab. But I would like to say that he has been fielded despite already being an MLA. Congress didn’t have a candidate at all, they could neither import or export.
How do you find your chances in Jind bypoll which has heavyweights like Randeep Singh Surjewala and Chautala family’s Digvijay Chautala?
See, this is like the battle of Mahabharata. This is the battleground, the warriors are bound to come here. If a warrior is stronger, than its more pleasant to fight. It’s natural.
Abhay Singh Chautala says that Krishan Middha is not following path of his father.
It’s right that my father was in INLD and remained with the party with full devotion. I have started my political career with the BJP.
Do you think that INLD’s traditional voters will support you as your father had been two-time MLA?
It’s natural. We have not done politics but have been associated with the society. I remained attached with INLD workers wholeheartedly, so I will claim my share.
Do you think you will get equal support from rural areas?
We have around 65,000 voters from rural areas. I have already said that I won’t leave my share at any cost. I will get as much share as (my father) got earlier from rural areas.
Do you feel that caste equations will play role in this election?
It’s possible that caste may have role for other leaders but not for me. Because I am a doctor and my father was also a doctor, we have done more social work. There is no place for caste in our profession. Had the system moved like that, we would have been out from the social circle.
Are your seeking votes in the name of Narendra Modi or Manohar Lal Khattar?
See, I am seeking votes on the policies of respectable Narendra Modi and the works done by the Chief Minister (on the slogan of) ‘sabka sath, sabka vikas’ in Haryana during the past four years. And also the services done by my respectable father in Jind and surrounding areas.
The Chief Minister and other ministers are camping in Jind. Do you feel their presence will benefit you?
See, this is natural. It’s not only BJP, but leaders of all parties have come to Jind. Everybody is doing their job and everybody has hope of benefitting accordingly. But a (final) call has to be taken by
the public.
Some BJP ticket aspirants are upset over not getting party ticket for the bypoll. Do you think they will support you?
Yes, yes. Why not? Surender Barwala, who was little upset, has returned back and will campaign in villages. Jawahar Saini and other leaders are engaged (in the campaign). There is no such issue.
From which sections of the society, you hope maximum support?
I will get votes from all 36 communities. I may get two votes from a place, I may get 100 votes from somewhere else. It means we will get votes from each and every community. Earlier too, we have got votes from each of the communities. Nobody can win with votes of a particular community only.
What’s your biggest strength in this election?
The biggest strength is love of the people in return for the services of my father.
