BJP hopes to topple Abhay Chautala in Ellenabad with PM’s rally today

ELLENABAD(HARYANA): In Ellenabad in Sirsa, a key seat in the Jat belt, a keen contest is on between INLD’s Abhay Chautala and the BJP as the ruling party is keen to defeat Chautala from this seat after it had fallen short by 12,000 votes the last time.

Pawan Beniwal, who lost to Chautala the last time, has been fielded again by the BJP from this seat. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is holding an additional rally in Ellenabad today in an effort to woo voters on the last day of campaigning and tilt the scales in the favour of the BJP candidate. The party is hoping that the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) candidate, O.P Sihag will split the Jat vote base of INLD in Ellenabad and pave the way for a BJP victory in a triangular contest. The Congress does not seem to be in the race on the Ellenabad seat.

Abhay Chautala has made winning this seat a prestige issue as the INLDs fortunes are seen to be dwindling across the state and its vote base shifting to JJP, the party floated by Abhay’s nephew Dushyant Chautala. INLD had won a majority of the seats in Sirsa and Hisar in 2014 but it is the JJP which is expected to be the main challenger to the BJP in this region now. INLD supremo Om Prakash Chautala had won from this seat in 2009 and the seat had been with the INLD since year 2000.


PM Modi has especially slotted a rally in Ellenabad on Saturday as the party feels BJP can pull off a surprise by defeating Abhay Chautala. However the INLD has a loyal voter base as well as sympathy amongst the Jat voters given the senior Chautala is in jail. Abhay Chautala has camped in Ellenabad for the last one month and campaigned extensively here. Before PM Modi, CM Manohar Lal has also campaigned in Ellenabad for the BJP candidate. Home Minister Amit Shah’s rally was also scheduled in Ellenabad but the same was cancelled at the last minute due to Shah’s falling ill on the said day.