DoDINLD blocks 3 seats for its jailed leaders

CHANDIGARH: Though an early release of top leaders of Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) - chief Om Prakash Chautala, his son Ajay Singh Chautala and Sher Singh Badshami - from jail is unlikely, the party has blocked seats for them. The last date for filing of nominations for the Haryana assembly elections is September 27.
INLD has "locked" Uchana Kalan, Dabawali and Ladwa assembly segments, which are represented by former CM Chautala, Ajay and Badshami respectively.The trio is in jail after being convicted in a teachers' recruitment scam.
The party has decided to wait for the outcome of the appeal filed by these leaders against their conviction till September 26, a day before the last date of filing the nominations. "We have decided not to declare any candidate for these three segments because we have full faith in the judicial system and the almighty. If some decision doesn't come till September 26, we will announce our candidates after discussion with party workers," said Abhay Singh Chautala.
On Saturday, Abhay announced the party's third list of eight candidates for the upcoming elections. With this list, INLD has so far fielded 81 candidates. In addition, INLD has also changed its nominee from Mahendergarh seat where Nirmala Tanwar has replaced Rao Bahadur Singh.
Abhay Chautala, however, made it clear that the list of six candidates would be declared on September 23. He also informed that the decision about candidates on two seats, Kalanwali and Ambala City, would be taken by INLD's alliance partner SAD.
On July 10, the Delhi high court had reserved its verdict after hearing the appeal against the conviction of INLD leaders in the junior basic trained teachers' recruitment scam. The judgment in the case can be pronounced at anytime. At present, Chautala is on interim bail on medical grounds and admitted in a private hospital in Gurgaon.
Sources said that INLD would field family members from Uchana and Dabawali seats. BJP has recently fielded senior leader Birender Singh's wife from Uchana Kalan.
Third list
CandidateSeat
Umed LohanHansi
Bhim MahajanHisar
Satish DaasMeham
K C BangerGohana
Kapoor Singh NarwalBaroda
Kishor YadavSohna
Raj Kumar SharmaRohtak
Tejvir SinghPundri
'Badal will defy BJP pressure'
INLD's Abhay Chautala said that BJP has been trying hard to restrain Punjab chief minister Prakash Singh Badal from campaigning for their party in the assembly polls but Badal would definitely be INLD's star campaigner. "Nobody can stop Punjab CM from supporting INLD in Haryana elections. He is Badal (cloud) and would come through air even after restrictions," Abhay added. He also added that around 20 senior SAD ministers and leaders from Punjab are already campaigning in Haryana for INLD.
Mahant gets party ticket
For the first time, a 'mahant' (preacher) of a local dera would contest the assembly polls in Haryana. INLD has fielded Satish Daas, head of a dera in Samain village, from Meham constituency of Rohtak district.
Modi bubble has burst: Abhay
Attacking BJP, Abhay Chautala said there was no Modi wave in Haryana like at the time of parliamentary elections and the party would be facing humiliating defeat in the assembly polls. "Condition of BJP in Haryana can be imagined from the fact that party's state unit president is facing charges of selling election tickets. The results of recent bypolls in various states have already burst the Modi balloon," he added.
About delay in declaring tickets by the Congress, Abhay said that the ruling party was running short of good candidates. "Because of alleged involvement of Congress leaders in huge land scams and other controversies, nobody is willing to take the party's tickets," he added.