Congress retains Haryana’s Baroda assembly seat

Congress candidate Indu Raj Narwal on Tuesday defeated his nearest rival and BJP nominee Yogeshwar Dutt in the Baroda assembly seat of Haryana with a margin of over 10,000 votes, said officials.

With this, the opposition Congress has retained the Baroda seat. This is the second time that Olympian wrestler Dutt has lost the elections from this constituency. Dutt had lost the 2019 assembly poll by about 4,800 votes to Congress candidate Krishan Hooda.

The Baroda assembly seat fell vacant in April following the death of Hooda, who had won it thrice in the 2009, 2014 and 2019 assembly elections.

Soon after the result was declared, Narwal accompanied former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda at Gohana in Sonepat district to thank voters for their support and celebrate the win.

Haryana Congress chief Kumari Selja said with their decision, the people of Baroda have given a “befitting reply” to “anti-farmer and anti-labour forces”. “The victory of Indu Raj Narwal is a win of farmers and labourers. I assure residents of Baroda that the Congress will live up to their expectations,” Selja tweeted.

Narwal, a former member of the Sonepat zila parishad, had maintained an early lead over his rivals who included Loktantra Suraksha Party chief Raj Kumar Saini and INLD’s Joginder Malik besides seven independent candidates.

Sonepat deputy commissioner Shyam Lal Punia said the counting of votes was carried out under tight security with six police checkposts put up near the counting centre and three-tier security in place. He urged people to stay home and avoid gatherings in view of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Baroda assembly seat had recorded an overall turnout of 68% on November 3. There were 14 candidates in the fray from the constituency.

PRESTIGE ISSUE FOR EX-CM HOODA

Anant Ram, a retired professor of political science at Bhiwani Government College, said the bypoll was a challenge for Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda to save his bastion. “A win here underscores Hooda’s hold in the Deswali belt and restores the Congress tally in the assembly to 31,” he said.

What they say

“People of Baroda have given a befitting reply to anti-farmer and anti-labour forces. Narwal’s win is the victory of farmers and labourers. I assure residents of Baroda that the Congress will live up to their expectations.”

Kumari Selja, Haryana Congress chief

“This is a win of Baroda voters, who ignored the BJP-JJP government’s one -year rule. I owe this win to farmers, labourers and people belonging to all sections of the society. This government’s countdown has started. The people of Baroda have set up a new milestone in Haryana’s politics and this will wipe the BJP-JJP government out of Haryana.”

Bhupinder Singh Hooda, leader of opposition

“The Baroda bypoll was an opportunity for us as we never won from there. The BJP-JJP jointly contested the election and we are happy with our performance. The Congress is celebrating by barring the entry of an international wrestler, Yogeshwar Dutt, to state assembly, which is not good. We will fight back.”

Om Prakash Dhankar, BJP state chief