Rebels across state swamp poll arena, make main players jittery

KARNAL/ROHTAK/HISAR: After waiting in vain for days to get ticket from their respective parties, several aspirants across the state turned rebels and jumped in the fray as independent candidates on the last day of nominations filing on Friday.

Dinesh Kaushik, the sitting independent MLA from Pundri, who had joined the BJP a few months ago and was seeking ticket from his constituency, filed his nomination papers as an independent. The BJP picked advocate Ved Pal over two-time MLA Kaushik from the segment.

“I have worked for 35 years for Pundri and was denied ticket at the last moment. I will contest and win again,” said Kaushik.

Sanjay Mehla, a BJP leader from Karnal and husband of Karnal Zila Parishad chairman Usha Mehla, also filed his nomination as independent candidate from Asandh assembly seat after the BJP denied ticket to him and fielded its sitting MLA Bakshish Singh Virk. In Kurukshetra, Swami Sandeep Onkar, who was seeking BJP ticket from Pehowa, also filed his nomination as an independent from BrahminSikh-dominated constituency.

“Party leaders, even the chief minister had himself promised me party ticket and I was working here for the last three years. Now, the people of Pehowa will decide their MLA,” he said.

The BJP had fielded former Indian Hockey captain Sandeep Singh from Pehowa.

Agitated over the denial of Congress ticket to his daughter from Ambala Cantt, senior Congress leader Nirmal Singh too turned a rebel and filed his nomination papers from Ambala city and fielded his daughter Chitra Sarwara from Ambala Cantt. The Congress fielded Venu Singla Aggarwal.

Nirmal Singh, a four-time Congress MLA and former minister, was associated with the Congress since 1978. He also fought last parliamentary election when Naveen Jindal had backed out.

Former MLA and Congress leader Rakesh Kamboj also entered the poll fray as an independent from Indri after being denied ticket. The Congress reposed faith in Navjot Kashyap from the seat.

Former chief parliamentary secretary (CPS) and former Asandh MLA, Zile Ram Sharma, will also fight as an independent. He had won on a Haryana Janhit Congress (BL) ticket from Asandh in 2005 and supported the Bhupinder Singh Hooda-led Congress government. He was elevated to the post of CPS in 2011.

Senior BJP leaders Somveer Sangwan (Dadri), Balraj Kundu (Meham), Pawan Kharkhoda (Kharkhoda- reserved), Shiv Shankar Bhardwaj (Bhiwani) also quit the saffron party and announced to enter the poll fray.

Former minister and senior Congress leader Satpal Sangwan and Bhupender Malik had already joined the JJP and given ticket from Dadri and Baroda, respectively.

Balraj has filed his nomination as an independent from Meham, Kharkhoda from Kharkhoda (reserved) and Bhardwaj from Bhiwani.

ALL MAINSTREAM POLITICAL PARTIES ARE FACING REBEL CANDIDATES