Life sometimes poses grave challenges when we least expect them. This is probably what Haryana BJP president and candidate from Tohana, Subhash Barala is telling himself these days. In 2014, when the BJP won the state for the first time, bagging 47 seats in the 90-member house, he was the lone party candidate to win an assembly segment in the nine constituencies that fall under the Sirsa Lok Sabha seat. But this time, when the party is hoping for a much-improved performance, Barala’s seat is under threat for a variety of reasons.
A look at the 2014 Tohana result says why the BJP’s state chief may not be sleeping easy these days. While Barala bagged nearly 50,000 votes, his nearest rival, Nishan Singh of the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) got over 42,000. An independent candidate, Devender Singh, secured over 38,000 while the Congress candidate Paramvir Singh finished fourth with a little over 33,000 votes.
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So what has changed? Following the split in the INLD, both Nishan Singh and later Devender Singh joined Dushyant Chautala’s Jannayak Janata Party. While Nishan, who won the seat in 2000, is now the state unit president, Devender was fielded from the constituency by the JJP after he failed to secure a Congress ticket. Going by the 2014 vote share, the JJP theoretically should have nearly 80,000 votes. Assuming that all these will not to go to the JJP candidate, the equation truly has changed for Barala.
As for the Congress’s Paramvir Singh, he too is no pushover. He is a two-time MLA from the constituency – won in 2005 and 2009 – and was the agriculture minister in the Bhupinder Singh Hooda government. His father Harpal Singh won from the constituency a record seven times and he too served in the Haryana cabinet.
JJP’s Tohana candidate Devender Singh. Photo: Facebook/DevenderSinghbabli
Top leaders involved in campaign
This time, all the parties are making every effort to ensure they emerge victorious. While Paramvir Singh got Hooda to hold a rally earlier this week, Dushyant Chautala has visited the constituency several times.
As for the BJP, Amit Shah was scheduled to attend a rally in the town on October 14, but did not show up. However, Union ministers Narendra Singh Tomar and Jitendra Singh spoke. Shah cancelled his October 14 tour, when he was also scheduled to go to Ellenabad, where INLD leader Abhay Chautala is in the fray.
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A key issue for BJP is that the Dera Sacha Sauda, unlike the last time, has not committed its support to the saffron party in the assembly elections. In Tohana, like in other constituencies of the state, Dera followers are not present as polling agents of BJP candidates. With the Dera estimated to have more than 20,000 followers in almost every constituency, which way these votes go could decide the fate of many candidates, including those contesting Tohana.
The Dera followers are angry with the BJP after the state government opened fire at rioters in the aftermath of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh’s rape conviction in Panchkula in August 2017. Whether the followers abstain, vote positively or negatively against a party could be crucial for its fortunes.
The entrance to the Dera Sacha Sauda. Photo: Bazil Ashrafi
‘BJP ready for contest’
Talking to The Wire, Barala said he was not worried about his two major opponents joining hands. “What is important is that the BJP is prepared for the elections from an organisational point of view. We have worked on issues people wanted us to. It does not matter who joins hands. We are contesting on the agenda of development and because of that, we will face no problem.”
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Taking aim at the Congress, he said that the party has failed to keep up its word. “At a rally before the Lok Sabha elections, Hooda said he would not let party tickets get sold. But former Haryana Congress president Ashok Tanwar recently said that party tickets were being sold.”
On the issue of Dera Sacha Sauda not committing itself to support the BJP so far, Barala said all sections of the society, including social organisations, are with the BJP government because of its work. “We have worked for all sections under [chief minister Manohar Lal] Khattar’s slogan of ‘Haryana ek, Haryanvi ek’ and because of that, all sections are supporting us,” he claimed.