Modi-Manohar magic works in Karnal

Chandigarh: The Manohar-Modi magic seems to have worked wonders with BJP sweeping all the nine assembly seats falling under Karnal parliamentary constituency.
Union minister Manohar Lal Khattar, who won the Lok Sabha elections from Karnal by a margin of more than two lakh votes, undertook an extensive poll campaign there along with the local candidates. Star campaigners also pulled crowds.But would all that translate into votes? Who would have known until some months ago when there was strong incumbency in the constituency. Though Nayab Singh Saini managed to win the byelection to the seat, it seemed difficult for BJP to retain all the nine assembly segments under it. Sources credited BJP’s clean sweep in Karnal to RSS workers, who had been working on the ground since March. RSS’s strong booth management tactics and efforts made by them and BJP workers to bring voters to the polling booths clearly worked in the party’s favour, they said.
Of the nine assembly segments in Karnal, five are in Karnal district namely Karnal city, Nilokheri , Indri, Assand and Gharaunda. The rest are in Panipat district — Panipat rural, Panipat city, Israna and Samalakha.
BJP candidate Jagmohan Anand defeated two-time Congress MLA Sumita Virk by 33,652 votes in Karnal. BJP candidate Yoginder Singh Rana wrested Assandh from sitting Congress MLA Shamsher Singh Gogi by a slender margin of 2,306 votes. In Gharaunda, Congress’s Varender Singh Rathore lost to two-time BJP MLA Harvinder Kalyan by 4,531 votes. BJP MLA from Indri subdivision, Ram Kumar Kashyap, who was seeking a reelection, defeated Congress’s Rakesh Kamboj by 15,149 votes. In Nilokheri, former BJP MLA Bhagwan Dass defeated former Congress MLA Dharam Pal by 18,845 votes. In Panipat city, former BJP MLA Pramod Kumar Vij won with 35,672 votes defeating Congress candidate Varinder Kumar Shah. In Panipat rural, BJP MLA Mahipal Dhanda bagged 50,212 more votes than Congress’s Sachin Kundu. BJP’s Manmohan Bhadana won Samalkha with 19,315 more votes than former Congress MLA Dharam Singh Chhoker. BJP’s Krishan Lal Panwar won Israna by 13,895 votes.
(With inputs from Bhavya Narang in Karnal)