lok-sabha-elections

Updated: May 24, 2019 13:51 IST

The Lok Sabha poll results on Thursday were a disaster for Om Prakash Chautala’s Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and its breakaway Jannayak Janata Party (JJP), as except for Dushyant Chautala, all their candidates lost deposits.

The INLD, which was once-the-main opposition party in Haryana, had won two seats – Sirsa and Hisar – in 2014 parliamentary polls. This time, it went alone on all 10 seats while its splinter outfit JJP entered into 7-3 seat sharing agreement with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

The JPP was floated in December last year after INLD supremo Om Prakash Chautala expelled his elder son and former MP Ajay Chautala and both his (Ajay’s) sons Dushyant and Digvijay, which caused a crippling split in INLD.

Dushyant Chautala, who had won on an INLD ticket from Hisar last time, fought on JJP’s symbol this time and finished second. He lost to BJP’s first-timer Brijendra Singh, who is the son of Union minister Birender Singh. Dushyant polled over 24.5% of the around 11.75 lakh votes. He lost by a margin of about 3 lakh votes.

Likewise, INLD’s Charanjit Singh Rori, who was sitting the MP from Sirsa, finished fourth and garnered 6.43% of about 14 lakh votes. Like Rori, the INLD’s other candidates namely, Ram Pal (Ambala seat), Arjun Chautala, (Kurukshetra), Dharmvir Padha (Karnal), Suresh Koth (Hisar), Balwan Singh, Bhiwani-Mahendergarh, Virender Rana, (Gurugram), Maninder Chauhan (Faridabad), Surender Chhikara, (Sonepat) and Dharamvir Singh (Rohtak), lost their deposits.

Also Read | Lok Sabha Elections Results 2019: Voters decimate political dynasties in Haryana

Also, INLD candidate from Kurukshetra, Arjun Chautala, who is the son of party leader Abhay Chautala, got only about 4.93% votes and also got his security forfeited.

The JJP and AAP combine candidates, namely, Prithvi Singh (AAP candidate, Ambala), Jai Bhagwan Sharma (JJP, Kurukshetra), Krishan Aggarwal (AAP, Karnal), Nirmal Singh (JJP, Sirsa), Swati Yadav, (JJP, Bhiwani-Mahendergarh), Mehmood Khan, (JJP Gurugram), Navin Jaihind (AAP, Faridabad), Digvijay Chautala, (Sonepat) and Pardeep Deswal (Rohtak) lost their deposits.

Among the big losers of the JJP-AAP is the younger son of former MP Ajay Chautala, Digvijay, who got only about 4.53% votes. AAP’s state president Navin Jaihind failed to poll even 1% vote and got only 0.88%. Both lost their deposits.

The INLD, however, maintains that since Lok Sabha polls are fought on national issues, the same would not have any impact on the upcoming assembly polls. Party leader Abhay Chautala says INLD will expose the irregularities committed in BJP government and win the assembly election.

JJP leader Dushyant Chautala too maintains that his party had shown its strengths in the recently held Jind bypoll in which it finished second, and would strive to make an impact in the assembly polls.