Haryana: The newsmaker of 2024

Chandigarh: Displaying its versatility to the hilt in 2024, the minuscule state of Haryana was among the prominent newsmakers be it politics, sports, farmers or crime.

From shifting the focus of the state from Jat-centric politics to representing in the India’s Paris Olympics contingent, surprising changes in political leadership the state hit the headlines time and again. Besides, the heinous killing of the INLD’s state unit president Nafe Singh Rathee who was killed in Bahadurgarh in Jhajjar in February ahead of Lok Sabha polls.

The state and its voters had a bagful of surprises for its leaders in the two elections it hosted this year. The voters ensured 5 seats went to the saffron party and the remaining five to Congress in the Lok Sabha elections thereby boosting the confidence of the latter for the state elections. However, a clean sweep to the Bhartiya Janta Party in the state elections came as a shocker to many, besides distinguished politicians. They voters also gave the message clear to Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) as the kingmakers of 2019 didn’t win a single seat in the 2024 Assembly elections.

The year ended with the unfortunate news of death of five-time chief minister Om Prakash Chautala December 20 at 89. A sudden fallout of BJP-JJP coalition in March followed by change of Chief Minister face from Manohar Lal Khattar to an inconspicuous OBC leader Nayab Singh Saini was surely a preemptive move of the BJP for the upcoming state assembly elections. Though the decision did not went down well with senior leaders like Anil Vij who had been eyeing to be the CM since long. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) also failed miserably at the elections as it couldn’t win from Kurukshetra, the lone LS seat it contested in partnership with the Congress.

The Opposition party also faced infighting over the party’s CM face. Congress leader and Sirsa MP Kumari Selja was visibly piqued by the party’s decision to give a free hand to Bhupinder Singh Hooda in ticket distribution for the assembly polls. She thus chose to probably stay away from campaigning which in all likelihood led to the regrettable assembly poll debacle.

The Congress infighting also led to senior leader Kiran Choudhry joining the BJP with her daughter Shruti Choudhry, ahead of the Assembly election.

Olympian Vinesh Phogat joined the Congress weeks after Paris Olympics disqualification.