Election result 5 years too late, but at a right time: INLD’s Inderjit Dahiya

The verdict came at the fag end of Jai Tirath’s term as Election Commission has already declared that the Assembly polls in Haryana will be held on October 21.

“There is a wave of happiness in my constituency. The decision will go against Jai Tirath in the elections. My faith in the God and judiciary has become stronger now,” said Inderjit, 75.

A three-time sarpanch of his native village Nahri (Sonipat), Inderjit is an agriculturist. He is hoping that the INLD will again field him from Rai to take on Jai Tirath, who is likely to be repeated by the Congress. Inderjit, who has remained associated with the INLD since 1987, is currently party’s state vice-president.

In the 2014 Assembly polls, the election officials had stated that Jai Tirath had secured 36,703 votes against 36,700 votes of his nearest rival Inderjit. However, the High Court has held that nine void votes had been cast in favour of Jai Tirath while two void votes had been cast in favour of Inderjit. “After the deduction of the void votes from their tally, the void votes polled by the returned candidate are 36,694 and the votes polled by the petitioner (Inderjit) are 36,698,” the HC order said.

In his legal battle, Inderjit says, he got all types of help from the INLD and its senior leader Abhay Chautala. “Jai Tirath tried his best to delay the outcome of the case by approaching the Supreme Court thrice,” he added.

However, Jai Tirath terms the allegation as baseless. “It was my right to approach the apex court but it did not affect the case’s proceedings in the High Court. If some void votes were counted by the election officials then what’s my fault.”

A lawyer by profession, Jai Tirath says that the High Court has not disqualified him. “It’s like an interim order as my petition is yet to be heard by the court in which I have alleged instances of booth capturing. The next hearing of the case has been fixed for October 14 this year.”

Nahri is one of the bigger villages in Sonipat district dominated by Jats of Dahiya gotra. Jai Tirath’s ancestors had shifted to a neighbouring village Badkhalsa long back. “I had gone to Nahri village on Thursday where I got warm response from the villagers,” says the Congress leader who is confident about his poll prospects.

Jai Tirath’s father Chaudhary Rizaq Ram had won five Assembly polls and was a minister in undivided Punjab. As a Congress candidate, Rizaq Ram had defeated the tall politician of Haryana Chaudhary Devi Lal from Sonipat Lok Sabha seat in 1983.