In Hisar fray, 2 heavyweights and a small businessman
As in previous elections, this time too, Hisar is witnessing a fight between mainstream parties and a commone
Savitri Jindal, one of India’s richest women, and media mughal Subhash Chandra are trying to settle scores while a commoner is trying to find success amid their conflict. Hisar constituency seems set for a tough contest.
As in previous elections, this time too, Hisar is witnessing a fight between mainstream parties and a commoner.
Savitri Jindal, according to the Forbes list, is the country’s richest woman and 12th in the worldwide rankings. She owns gold and diamond jewellery worth Rs 9.58 crore and silver jewellery worth 10.47 crore, as declared in her affidavit.
Her opponent Gautam Sardana runs a small business in the town. Sardana contested the last election against her as an independent and came second in a constituency where the Jindals start their vote count from 10,000. According to a rough estimate, more than 10,000 employees work in Jindal factories, educational institutions and other establishments besides working in their ancillary units. All of them vote en bloc for Jindal in the constituency which was represented by Savitri’s husband O P Jindal. Following his death in an air crash, Savitri contested from here in a byelection and was taken in as a minister in the Hooda government.
Embroiled in the coal block scam, her son Naveen Jindal lost the Kurukshetra Lok Sabha seat where Zee News owner Subhash Chandra worked extensively against him. Chandra is known for his proximity to PM Narendra Modi and was seated alongside him during his Hisar visit. Chandra is involved in a legal tangle with Zee News after its editors were accused of demanding money in lieu of coal scam stories.
Jindal reportedly conducted a sting on the Zee News editors who were allegedly trying to settle a quid pro quo for coal coverage. Chandra is a man with a mission: first he camped in Kurukshetra to ensure the defeat of Naveen Jindal and now he is camping in Hisar, his home town, working against Savitri in favour of BJP candidate Kamal Sharma. Ironically, Chandra himself wanted a ticket from the constituency but when the BJP high command handed it to Sharma, he started working for him.
The Jindals have always considered this constituency their pocketborough, but this time things are different as both Savitri and Naveen are doing extensive campaigning. The Jindals are also fighting anti-incumbency as certain parts of the town are crying for development.
Sardana, contesting on a Haryana Janhit Congress ticket, is upbeat as he hopes to take advantage of the Jindal-Chandra clash. “I finished second as an independent in the last election against a candidate who starts her vote count from five figures. This time I have support of the Bhajan Lal family. I worked for the constituency despite losing, while my opponents stay confined in their air-conditioned fort after getting elected,” said Sardana.
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