INLD leader’s son wins Jind for BJP

Out of 1,30,828 votes polled, Middha secured 50,578 and Digvijay 37,648 while Surjewala, the national spokesperson for the Congress and sitting MLA from Kaithal in Haryana, got 22,742 votes. The bypoll was ordered after the death of Middha’s father, INLD’s Hari Chand Middha.

After bitter infighting in the Chautala clam, Digvijay and his elder brother and Parliamentarian Dushyant Chautala had announced a new political outfit, Jannayak Janata Party. The party being in the formation stage, Dushyant had pitted Digvijay as an Independent.

The result came as a big setback for the INLD. Its candidate Umed Singh Redhu ended up forfeiting his security deposit with 3,434 votes and ended behind another new outfit – the Loktantra Suraksha Party (LSP) led by BJP’s rebel MP from Kurukshetra Raj Kumar Saini. LSP’s Vinod Ashri secured 13,582 votes

The INLD and Congress had won multiple times from this constituency since 1966 when Haryana was formed. Although Digvijay stood ahead in the initial rounds of counting, Surjewala consistently remained on third place. Middha, however, picked up from fourth round of counting onwards and secured victory.

“Jind has put its stamp on Manohar Lal Khattar government’s policies. I am sure that development works in Jind will gather more pace now,” Middha, who joined the BJP recently, said after being declared as the winning candidate. He also led a huge victory procession in Jind town.

Conceding his defeat, Surjewala said, “Party had given me a responsibility. I performed this responsibility with my full strength. People of Jind have taken a call and have elected BJP candidate Krishan Middha. I congratulate Middhaji”.
Reacting to the development, Delhi Chief Minister and AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal said, “The results of the Jind bypoll has proved that Congress cannot defeat BJP in Haryana. Only a new political alternative can throw BJP out”.
Digvijay Chautala, who finished second, meanwhile said that “37,648 votes are a proof that people of Jind have shown their love for me and our newly formed party JJP. Our fight for bringing in change in the system will continue”.
Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar was quick to attribute Jind’s victory to his government’s “transparent and graft-free governance and uniform development policy”. “The comprehensive victory of BJP in the Jind by-election is a clear indication of increasing faith of people in the present state government’s transparent and graft-free governance and uniform development policy,” Khattar said.

The way people of Jind has continued with the same trend as was followed during the massive victory of BJP in elections of five municipal corporations held recently, “I am confident that the party would win all the 10 seats in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections in the state,” he said, adding that the BJP’s first major victory in Jind was a “clear indication” that the people have rejected the “caste-based politics” of the Opposition.

Earlier, the counting process was suspended for at least 20 minutes when Congress and JJP alleged “mismatch” of the serial numbers of EVMs used during the polling with those EVMs that were used for counting. Their supporters created ruckus outside and inside the counting station. Police resorted to lathicharge to disperse the mob.

Who is Krishan Middha?
Forty-eight-year-old Krishan Middha is a BAMS (bachelor of ayurvedic medicine and surgery) doctor by profession and looks after the ‘Middha Clinic’, established by his father Hari Chand Middha, an RMP (registered medical practitioner) in Jind’s Dyal Bag Colony. Hari Chand had gained popularity by helping poor patients. His neighbours still recall how he used to offer bus fare along with free medicine to the penniless patients. The Indian National Lok Dal fielded Hari Chand, a Punjabi community member, twice from Jind, keeping in view local caste equations, and he won both the times ? in 2009 as well 2014 Assembly polls. Two months after his father’s demise in August 2018, Krishan joined the BJP.