The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has played a masterstroke by inducting senior politician Kiran Chaudhary into its fold. Kiran, the daughter-in-law of the late political leader Bansi Lal, is known to be close to the Gandhi family. She was reportedly upset over the denial of the Bhiwani-Mahendergarh Lok Sabha seat to her daughter and, in retaliation, allegedly stayed away from campaigning for the Indian National Congress candidate Rao Dan Singh, who lost the seat to the BJP's Dharambir Singh by a substantial margin of 41,510 votes.
Rather than facing potential reprimand from the Congress high command, Kiran Chaudhary shrewdly switched allegiance to the BJP. This move presents a win-win situation for both her and the BJP, as it will enable her to embark on a new innings with the BJP, while the BJP stands to benefit from her influence in at least four assembly segments of Bhiwani, Tosham, Badhra, and Loharu in the region.
It is anticipated that, as part of a quid pro quo arrangement, her daughter Shruti, a Supreme Court lawyer, may be nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the BJP. As Haryana gears up for assembly polls in October this year, the BJP aims to retain power in its third consecutive term, despite facing strong anti-incumbency sentiments. In such a scenario, every seat the BJP wins will be a valuable asset. The Bhiwani-Mahendergarh Lok Sabha segment encompasses eight assembly segments where the family of former Chief Minister Chaudhary Bansi Lal wields considerable influence, potentially swaying poll results.
In the recently concluded parliamentary elections, the BJP trailed by 8,319 votes in the Loharu segment and 27,102 votes in the Badhra assembly segment, although it had a lead in Bhiwani and Tosham, while other segments indicated a close contest. Kiran Chaudhary's presence in the region bordering Rajasthan could provide the BJP with the much-needed impetus to secure a third term. The Bhiwani-Mahendergarh parliamentary segment spans across Bhiwani, Loharu, Tosham, Dadri, Mahendergarh, Ateli, Nangal Chaudhary, and Narnaul assembly segments.
The Loharu Assembly constituency, located in Bhiwani district, was won by Jai Parkash Dalal of the BJP in the 2019 assembly elections, with the runner-up from the Congress, Somvir Singh, trailing by a margin of 17,677 votes. The Badhra Assembly constituency, also in Bhiwani district, was won by Naina Singh of the Jannayak Janata Party (JNJP) with a margin of 13,704 votes over Ranbir Singh Mahendra of the Congress. The BJP is hopeful of making gains in this area.
Bhiwani district also houses the Dadri Assembly constituency, where Sombir of the Congress emerged victorious, defeating Satpal Sangwan of the JNJP by a margin of 14,272 votes. Similarly, in the Bhiwani Assembly constituency, Ghanshyam Saraf of the BJP secured a victory. In Tosham, also in Bhiwani district, Kiran Chaudhary, then with the Congress, won against Shashi Ranjan Parmar of the BJP by a substantial margin of 18,059 votes.
Moving to Mahendergarh district, in the Ateli Assembly constituency, Sitaram of the BJP triumphed over Atar Lal of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) with a margin of 18,406 votes. Additionally, in the Mahendergarh Assembly constituency, Rao Dan Singh of the Congress was victorious, though he subsequently contested and lost the parliamentary seat to the BJP candidate.
On the Narnaul Assembly seat, Om Prakash Yadav of the BJP defeated Kamlesh Saini of the JNJP in 2019 by a margin of 14,715 votes. In the Nangal Chaudhary Assembly constituency, Dr Abhe Singh Yadav of the BJP emerged victorious, defeating Mula Ram of the JNJP by a margin of 20,615 votes.
With the October 2024 assembly elections expected to be a direct contest between the BJP and the Congress, the presence of Kiran Chaudhary is poised to provide the BJP with a distinct advantage over the Congress in the region.
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