BJP nominee Jangra withdraws from Sirsa, party may back Kanda

CHANDIGARH: Ruling BJP’s Sirsa candidate, Rohtash Jangra, on Monday said he has withdrawn his nomination, indicating that the party is likely to back sitting MLA Gopal Kanda in the upcoming Assembly polls. Kanda, the supremo of the Haryana Lokhit Party (HLP), is seeking re-election from the Sirsa Assembly seat and has been supporting the BJP’s state government in Haryana.

“I have withdrawn my nomination. The decision has been taken in the interest of the state and the country... We have to ensure a ‘Congress-mukt Haryana’,” Jangra said.

He added: “Gopal Kanda has supported us (BJP) for five years. We have taken this decision for Sirsa’s development.”

The BJP, like the Congress, will now contest 89 of the 90 Assembly seats in Haryana. The Congress has left the Bhiwani seat for CPI(M). Last week, the BJP released its third and final list of candidates for the Haryana polls in which the party fielded Jangra from Sirsa.

The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) announced that it was extending support to Kanda in Sirsa.

However, following the BJP’s withdrawal of its candidate, INLD leader Abhay Chautala said he would hold discussions with his party leaders to decide whether to continue supporting Kanda. The INLD is contesting the assembly polls in alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).

BJP leader and former MP Ashok Tanwar, who accompanied Jangra, said: “There is only one aim: to form a BJP government for the third time and to have a Congress-mukt Bharat and Congress-mukt Sirsa.”

Kanda, a businessman, has been involved in politics and had a brush with the law as well. His career suffered a setback when he was arrested in 2012 and resigned from his post in the Home Ministry in the Haryana government. In August 2012, Geetika Sharma, a former air hostess with Kanda-owned MDLR airline, committed suicide, accusing Kanda and an aide of harassment.

Kanda denied the allegations, but he was taken into custody by the Delhi Police with charges including abetment of suicide, criminal conspiracy, criminal intimidation, and sending false electronic messages.

In March 2014, Kanda was granted bail after the charge of sexual exploitation was dropped by the Delhi High Court. Last year, Kanda, along with co-accused Aruna Chadha, was acquitted by the court.

As leader of the Haryana Lokhit Party, which he formed in May 2014, Kanda contested the 2014 elections in Haryana but lost to the INLD. However, he was successful in his next attempt in 2019 and became the MLA from Sirsa.

Polling for the 90 Assembly seats in Haryana will be held on October 5, and the votes will be counted on October 8. The ruling BJP is eyeing a hat-trick of wins but faces a stiff challenge from a resurgent Congress, which is looking to cash in on the anti-incumbency factor.