Haryana: Campaigning ends for high-stake Jind bypoll

CHANDIGARH: Campaigning for the Jind assembly constituency by-election ended on Saturday evening.

Voting will take place on Monday (January 28) and the result will be declared on Thursday (January 31).

On the last day of the campaigning, all four major political parties held rallies for the one final push with voters before the pollls. Only door-to-door campaigning will be allowed till Sunday evening.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal campaigned for Digvijay Chautala, the candidate of the newly formed Jannayak Janta Party (JJP).

Though the seat will have a tenure of around nine months only, the by-election has forced the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, the Congress, the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and the JJP to put in all their resources for a win. The bypoll is likely to have an impact on the forthcoming Lok Sabha and assembly elections.

The Congress has made the contest interesting in Jind by fielding the party`s national spokesman, Randeep Surjewala. 

The seat fell vacant when sitting INLD legislator Hari Chand Middha, who won from here twice, passed away in August last year. 

The BJP has fielded Middha`s son, Krishan Middha as its candidate.

The INLD has fielded Umed Singh as its candidate.

Out of the 1.7 lakh registered electorate, Jind constituency has a substantial vote of Scheduled Caste and backward classes (around 50 per cent) and Jats (around 25 per cent).

The local administration has ordered the closure of liquor shops in Jind district for three days (January 26 to 28).