Around 1.7 lakh people in Haryana's Jind assembly constituency are set to exercise their franchise amid tight security arrangements on Monday to decide on the political fortunes of 21 candidates in fray in a high-stakes election being held just months before the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha polls due later this year. The counting of votes will be taken up on January 31.
Around 3,000 police personnel and 500 Home Guards have been deployed in the district for the peaceful conduct of elections, besides a company each of the Central Reserve Police Force and the Rapid Action Force.
Security blanket
Jind Police spokesperson Pawan Kapoor said adequate police forces were deployed at all the 174 polling booths and additional force was sent to sensitive and hyper-sensitive booths. He added that the vehicles and the people from outside would not be allowed on the voting day and 51 check posts were set up across the district.
Though not holding much significance for the electoral strength of various political parties in the Vidhan Sabha, the Jind by-election turned into one of the most keenly-fought elections in the state in the recent years after the Congress decided to field its Kaithal MLA and party's Communications Chief Randeep Singh Surjewala, making it a triangular fight involving BJP’s Krishan Middha and newly-formed Jannayak Janata Party's (JJP) Digvijay Singh Chautala.
For the BJP, the result of the election — the first by-election since the party came to power in 2014 — could be construed as a referendum on its more than four-year long tenure which it could make or mar the prospects of JJP, recently formed after a split in the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD). More so because Jind, a Jat heartland, has been the traditional stronghold of the Chautalas. The results to the election would also decide as to who, among the JJP and the INLD, are the true inheritors of the legacy of late Deputy Prime Minister Chaudhary Devi Lal.
While BJP seems to be banking on the non-Jat urban voters having fielded a “Punjabi”, the JJP hopes to corner most of the votes of the Jat community, who comprise around 30 % of the electorate. The Aam Aadmi Party also announced its support for JJP towards the end of the campaigning.
Mr. Surjewala tossed a slogan, “Jind Badlenge, Zindagi badlege” (Will change Jind, Will change the lives), promising development in a hope to seek support of all communities. The Congress also seemed to put up a united fight with former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and his Rohtak MP son Deepender Hooda campaigning for Mr. Surjewala.
The dramatic cancellation of former Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala's parole preventing him from canvassing in the election saw trading of charges between the INLD and the JJP.