Is Haryana's political maverick Gopal Kanda playing both sides in poll contest?

Sirsa, Sep 21 (IANS) Why is ruling BJP, like its principal Opposition Congress, contesting 89 of the 90 Assembly seats in Haryana?

In a pre-poll alliance, Congress left the Bhiwani seat for its INDIA block partner, Communist Party of India (Marxist), but BJP withdrew its candidate Rohtash Jangra from the Sirsa seat at the last minute.

However, BJP’s tactical support to Haryana Lokhit Party chief and its lone sitting legislator Gopal Kanda, who emerged as a key player after BJP failed to win a majority in the October 2019 elections and later extended “unconditional support” to the ruling party, is seen in political circles as an attempt to divide the anti-BJP votes.

Who’s Kanda? Kanda, the man known for switching loyalties with the ability to read the political wind, said that his father was associated with Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), BJP’s ideological mentor, and fought the first general elections after Independence on a Jan Sangh ticket.

He already enjoys the backing of the Om Prakash Chautala-led Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), which has an alliance with Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).

But BJP has been maintaining a stoic silence since Jangra withdrew his candidature on September 16.

Haryana BJP chief Mohan Lal Badoli has given three media statements. Initially, he expressed ignorance about the withdrawal of nomination papers. In a subsequent statement, he said that he would reply on the issue in a day. Later, he said Kanda’s party is a National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partner.

Senior leaders admit to IANS that during ticket distribution deliberations, the party was initially keen to give Kanda the Sirsa ticket, but finally cleared the candidature of Jangra.

After withdrawing from the elections, Jangra said: “I have withdrawn my nomination in line with the party’s directions. Together, we will defeat the Congress.”

This time there is a straight contest between BJP’s “supported” and two-time legislator Kanda and Congress’ Gokul Setia from Sirsa, once the Congress stronghold wins.

In the 2019 elections, Kanda, whose meteoric rise is from a small shoe factory to owning an airline, defeated his nearest rival Setia, whose mother Sunita Setia unsuccessfully contested the 2014 Assembly elections from Sirsa on a BJP ticket, by a slender margin of 602 votes. At that time, the latter was an Independent candidate with the backing of INLD.

In 2021, Kanda’s brother Govind joined BJP and was fielded as a candidate for the Ellenabad bypoll necessitated after sitting INLD legislator Abhay Chautala resigned in support of farmers protesting against three farm legislations. Chautala retained the seat.

Kanda was once a close aide of the Chautalas when he began his political career.

In 2009, Kanda contested as an Independent from Sirsa and won the election. Later he extended support to Congress led by Bhupinder Hooda as his government fell short of a majority and bargained hard to get the Home portfolio.

He resigned as minister in August 2012, when he was booked on charges of abetment of suicide in the case of Geetika Sharma who worked at his aviation firm MDLR Airlines.

Geetika, a former air hostess, was found dead in her Delhi residence in 2012. In her suicide note, she alleged “harassment” by Kanda and Aruna Chadha, another accused.

In July last year, a Delhi court acquitted Kanda of all charges, including abetment of suicide, criminal conspiracy, destruction of evidence and forgery.

Political observers say Congress candidate Setia is giving a tough fight to Kanda owing to his grand political legacy, clean image and young face. His grandfather, Lachhman Das Arora, was elected member of the Sirsa Assembly five times in 1967, 1982, 1991, 2000 and 2005, and was a minister three times. He had contested 10 elections from Sirsa.

As a great social worker, Setia’s grandfather had worked in the region to eradicate social evils, especially the dowry system.

“Kanda is riding on two boats and is being stuck between two options, with no clear way to choose between them. That is why he’s publically refusing to accept BJP’s support to avoid upsetting INLD leaders,” a senior BJP leader admitted to IANS.

INLD Secretary-General Abhay Chautala, who is in the fray from his stronghold Ellenabad, has already clarified to the media that “if BJP supports Kanda and he accepts it, we will hold discussions within the alliance on the issue of our support.”

In politics, there’s a saying -- you can’t sail in two boats at the same time. Only time will tell how Kanda can manage or sail through for the second consecutive term.

Haryana will go to the polls for the 90-member Assembly on October 5 with the ballot count on October 8.