Voters standing in queues to cast their votes in Ellenabad. (Express Photo: Manoj Dhaka)
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The bypolls were necessitated after Chautala resigned in solidarity with the agitating farmers who are protesting the three farm laws. Chautala contested the polls again, and is eyeing a fourth win from the seat — after winning the bypolls to Ellenabad in 2010, Abhay retained it in 2014 and again in the 2019 Assembly polls. This election is significant for Chautala as Ellenabad was the lone seat his party had won in the last election to the Vidhan Sabha.
The Ellenabad bye-election was the first election in any Assembly constituency in Haryana since the farmers' agitation began last November. The state has now emerged the epicentre of the movement. The results of this election, therefore, are likely to emerge as a referendum on whether the ongoing agitation has had any impact on electoral politics. It is being considered a tough test for the ruling dispensation, as the BJP-JJP alliance is already facing opposition from the farmer community over the legislations.
Ahead of the Ellenabad bypolls, as many as 121 polling booths of the 211 set up were declared "sensitive or hyper sensitive". Sirsa District Election Officer Anish Yadav told The Indian Express: "As many as 211 polling booths were set up for 1.86 lakh voters. As many as 121 polling booths were declared sensitive or hyper sensitive. The election process went on peacefully."
The polling was conducted according to the Covid-19 guidelines. Voters were made to stand in queues and follow the social distancing norms.
Hisar range IGP Rakesh Arya said apart from the policemen from Hisar range, as were as 34 companies of paramilitary forces deployed to ensure free and fair election. "As many as 65 patrolling parties were formed for nearly 80 villages where the election process took place. The patrolling parties were given a target to reach any spot within 5-7 minutes after getting any complaint. As many as 52 nakas were set up on the borders of Punjab and Rajasthan. Similar nakas were installed by the neighbouring states too in their jurisdiction following our request,” he had told The Indian Express.
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Ellenabad bypoll: Voters stand in queues to cast their votes on October 30. (Express Photo: Sukhbir Siwach)
Indian National Lok Dal’s Abhay Chautala managed to retain Ellenabad by registering a victory in the bypoll by 6,708 votes, defeating BJP-JJP candidate Gobind Kanda in a close-contest, while Congress candidate Pawan Beniwal finished a distant third.
Amid the ongoing farmers’ agitation, the bypoll was seen as a tough battle for BJP-JJP but the final results showed that it was not a cake-walk for Abhay Chautala. While Abhay got 65,897 votes, Kanda got 59,189 votes and Beniwal bagged 20,857 votes. On October 30, the constituency had polled nearly 81.38 per cent votes. Read more
INLD's Abhay Chautala has won the race for Haryana's Ellenabad Assembly constituency with a lead of over 6,500 votes over ruling BJP's Gobind Kanda and and Congress’s Pawan Beniwal. After the 16 rounds of counting, Chautala ended up with 65,897 votes, Kanda with 59,189 votes and Pawan Beniwal with 20,857 votes.
Ellenabad bypoll results: After 15/16 rounds of counting:
Abhay Chautala (INLD) - 65,430
Gobind Kanda (BJP-JJP) - 58,857
Pawan Beniwal (Congress) - 20,682
Abhay Chautala reaches the counting centre, where he accuses BJP-JJP of horse trading in the polls. "I shall win with a margin of over 8,000 votes. The margin would have been far more had BJP-JJP not indulged in horse trading. Congress, too, collided with BJP to try and bring me down. They all failed. They tried their level best, but yet could not succeed in their motives. This is not my victory, it is the victory of farmers and people of Ellenabad," he said.
Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) chief Abhay Chautala has a lead of more than 5,000 votes over BJP-JJP candidate Gobind Kanda and Congress’s Pawan Beniwal. After 13 rounds of counting — there are 16 rounds in total — Chautala’s has secured 55,009 votes, while Kanda has 50,421 and Beniwal has 18,297.
After 12 rounds of counting, Abhay Chautala of INLD is up by nearly 4,000 votes. He has bagged 49,827 votes, while BJP-JJP's Gobind Kanda has 45,866 votes and Congress's Pawan Beniwal has 17,004. This election is crucial for Chautala as Ellenabad was the lone seat his party had won in the last election to the Vidhan Sabha.
Abhay Chautala's lead over BJP-JJP candidate Gobind Kanda and Congress's Pawan Beniwal is shrinking. After 10 rounds of counting - there are 16 rounds in total - Chautala's lead falls to 2,985 votes. He has garnered 40,633 votes, against Kanda's 37,648 and Beniwal's 14,951.
Abhay Chautala has widened his lead, and is now ahead by 8,180 votes. After 7/16 rounds of counting, here's where things stand:
Abhay Chautala (INLD) - 31,838
Gobind Kanda (BJP-JJP) - 23,658
Pawan Beniwal (Congress) - 13,092
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Here are how the top three candidates - INLD chief Abhay Chautala, BJP-JJP candidate Gobind Kanda and Congress's Pawan Beniwal - are faring in the Ellenabad bye-election. Chautala leads by over 6,000 votes.
Ellenabad bypoll results: After 4/16 rounds of counting:
Abhay Chautala (INLD) - 19,873
Gobind Kanda (BJP-JJP) - 13,842
Pawan Beniwal (Congress) - 11,424
After three rounds of counting, Abhay Chautala is in the lead after 3/16 rounds of counting with 10,320 votes, followed by BJP's Gobind Kanda (7,575) and Congress' Pawan Beniwal (6,199).
After two rounds of counting, Abhay Chautala has garnered 6,915 votes, while Gobind Kanda, contesting for the BJP-JJP alliance, has got 4,615 votes. Congress' Pawan Beniwal is third with 4,174 votes. There are 16 rounds of counting today before the official results will be declared.
Ellenabad has traditionally been a stronghold of the Chautala clan. While Abhay’s father and INLD supremo Om Prakash Chautala won from Ellenabad in 2009, Abhay won from the assembly segment three consecutive times, first in the by-elections in 2010, then in 2014 and 2019.
INLD's Abhay Chautala is fighting to save his party's existence in the Vidhan Sabha. If he doesn't secure a victory today, INLD shall stand completely wiped out in the Vidhan Sabha. Read Varinder Bhatia's explainer
The unique thing about this bypoll was how the divided Chautala clan took on each other while campaigning for different parties in the same constituency that once used to be their stronghold.
While Om Prakash Chautala, who completed his sentence in the JBT teachers' recruitment case, campaigned for his son Abhay Chautala, Om Prakash’s younger son, Ajay Chautala, who too is serving a sentence in the same case but is out on parole, campaigned for BJP-JJP’s candidate Gobind Kanda. Ajay’s sons, Deputy CM Dushyant and Digvijay Chautala, also batted for the ruling alliance’s candidate.
Voters in the majorly rural seat have filtered down the issues that matter – the ongoing farmers' agitation, "possible use of cash to influence the vote", and the caste equation. Serious issues like inflation, employment and Covid-19 pandemic have taken a back seat. Sukhbir Siwach reported from Ellenabad ahead of the polls
In the first trends that have emerged on the Ellenabad bypoll in Haryana, INLD's Abhay Chautala is leading by a thin margin of 478 votes, ahead of BJP's candidate Gobind Kanda.
As the agitation against the three farm laws enacted a year ago shows no signs of flagging, the action has shifted from its birthplace Punjab to Haryana, where leaders of the ruling BJP-JJP coalition are facing a blanket boycott. Read this explainer by Manraj Grewal Sharma on why Haryana has become the epicentre of farm agitation.
The Election Commission is yet to put out officials trends of the Ellenabad election results. While we wait, here's an explainer on why the results will be a bigger referendum for farmers than Abhay Chautala or BJP-JJP. In brief, this is the first election in any Assembly constituency in Haryana after the farmers’ agitation began 11 months ago. It is to be seen whether the ongoing agitation has had any impact on electoral politics. The farmers say if they succeed in ensuring defeat of the BJP candidate in Ellenabad with an impressive margin, it may reflect the direction the wind is blowing in the region. The bypoll also comes months ahead of the Assembly elections in Punjab. Read Sukhbir Siwach's report
The Ellenabad constituency is mainly defined as a rural area, and majority of the voters stay in villages. Due to this, it is going to be a tough contest for the BJP-JJP alliance, which is already facing immense opposition from the farmer community due to the three central farm legislations.
Ahead of counting, INLD’s Abhay Chautala said, “It is going to be victory of farmers and people of Ellenabad constituency”. Congress’ Pawan Beniwal said, “It is the time when people of Ellenabad have decided that which side they would like to go”. BJP-JJP’s Gobind Kanda, meanwhile, said, “People of Ellenabad shall celebrate two Diwalis this time, first on November 2 (today) and another on November 4.”