Political loyalty is a casualty in Thanesar (Kurukshetra) to remain relevant

Political loyalty is a casualty in Thanesar (Kurukshetra) to remain relevant

Kurukshetra, November 25 --- Kurukshetra, which is well known as the land of Mahabhatra, is likely to witness a great political battle in the next assembly elections amongst the major three contenders, who had started their political career from Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) party.

Assembly segment of Kurukshetra town is named as Thanesar. President of Haryana INLD, Ashok Arora, had won elections four times from Thanesar since he was made a candidate by INLD for a byelection in the year 1990. He lost the assembly election to Subhash Sudha, in the year 2014.

Though Subhash Sudha was elected as a Member of Municipal Council and then as its Chairman of Thanasar as an independent 25 years back, soon he had started his political journey with INLD. However, about 10 years back he joined Congress and became Organising Secretary of Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee. Later, sensing Modi waive he left Congress to join Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) just a few months before last assembly elections. He got BJP ticket to win the election.

The third actor in this political game being played in Thanesar constituency is Jai Bhagwan Sharma, who also started his political career as INLD worker as a Sarpanch of his village reaching to the level of District President of INLD. However, he shifted his loyalty and joined as President of District Congress Committee when he was denied ‘promised’ INLD party ticket to contest parliament election from Kurukshetra constituency in the year 2009. He remained very close to the then Chief Minister B.S. Hooda. However, he again shifted his party, 2 months before assembly election in 2014 and joined BJP with the assurance for the party ticket from his home constituency Thanesar (Kurukshetra). However, Sharma was given BJP ticket for Pehowa, as another Congress leader, Subhash Sudha also shifted to BJP before assembly elections and got a BJP ticket for Thanesar.

Sharma started speaking against the BJP government a year back and started his canvassing in Thanesar constituency as an Independent candidate claiming that he was doing it has BJP government had done injustice with him as well as with the people of northern Haryana. However, he resigned from the BJP on Friday and announced to join the proposed political party being floated by Ajay Chautala and Dushyant Chautala, next month.

However, Sharma’s strongest rival, Ashok Arora, who is President of Haryana INLD, said people like Sharma are not constant in politics and they change their loyalties with changing of political wind for getting business protection. Now, when he has realized that BJP is not coming to power next, he had shifted his loyalty. He said that it is a joke that Sharma a habitual defector is now caring for the people of ‘northern Haryana’.

Though the elections are still far off, the pitch has been drawn in Thanesar, and it has become the talk of the town.