Chandigarh: Local issues are dominating the
poll campaign by the parties in Ratia and Adampur Assembly
constituencies in Haryana for the November 30 bye-elections.
In Ratia seat in Fatehabad district, main opposition
Indian National Lok Dal has fielded Sarfi Bai against Congress
candidate and former MLA Jarnail Singh and BJP-Haryana Janhit
Congress combine aspirant Mahavir Prasad.
The Ratia by-poll has become a matter of prestige for the
INLD and the ruling Congress in the wake of their defeat in
the Hisar Lok Sabha by-poll in October.
Gian Chand Odh of the INLD represented Ratia in the state
Assembly and his death in September necessitated the bypoll.
The party has fielded his widow Sarfi from the seat.
INLD President and former Chief Minister Om Prakash
Chautala has been targeting the Congress alleging that the
party led government has ignored Ratia in development works.
Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, who has campaigned
in the constituency, claims that his government had spent Rs
330 crore for various developments works as against Rs 96 crore
during the erstwhile INLD-BJP regime.
Former Union Minister Buta Singh, Sirsa MP Ashok Tanwar
and other leaders from the state Congress have also campaigned
for the Congress nominee from Ratia.
Hisar MP and HJC President Kuldeep Bishnoi, too,
campaigned in some villages in Ratia for Prasad.
Like in Adampur, from where his wife Renuka is contesting,
Bishnoi has been lashing out at the Hooda government for
allegedly discriminating against both the Assembly seats and
neglecting them in development work.
From Adampur in Hisar, Congress has fielded former
legislator Kuldeep Singh, and INLD retired Judge RS Baswana.
Adampur, which fell vacant after resignation of Bishnoi
after his election to Lok Sabha, has traditionally been a
stronghold of the Bhajan Lal family, with the late leader
himself winning the seat on nine occasions.
The Congress has been using development as its key poll
plank and hopes to win the two seats, especially after the
severe drubbing the ruling party got in the Hisar Lok Sabha
bye-election.
Meanwhile, a spokesman of the Haryana Police department
said around 2,700 police officers and personnel would be on
duty in Adampur Assembly constituency on the polling day to
ensure foolproof security.
In addition to these police personnel, services of 900
personnel of paramilitary forces and 477 home guard personnel
would be utilised.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, November 22, 2011, 15:47