The Congress on Wednesday announced that its chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala will be the party's candidate for the by-election in Haryana's Jind Assembly constituency. The Election Commission had on December 31 announced that the bypoll to the Jind Assembly seat would be held on January 28 and the results will be out on January 31. The filing of nominations began on January 3 and end on January 10. Surjewala is a sitting MLA from Haryana's Kaithal. The BJP's nominee for the seat is Krishan Middha, the son of late Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) MLA Hari Chand Middha. The INLD is yet to announce its candidate.
INC COMMUNIQUE
Announcement of @rssurjewala as the Congress candidate for the ensuing bye-election to the Legislative Assembly of Haryana. pic.twitter.com/nYKyBFFwbh— INC Sandesh (@INCSandesh) January 9, 2019
The bypoll to the Jind assembly seat, which is considered as the political heartland of Haryana, will prove to be a litmus test for various parties, including the ruling BJP, the Congress and the INLD. The win from Jind is going to be crucial for the contesting parties, with Lok Sabha polls not far away and the state assembly polls also scheduled for the later part of 2019.
While the BJP will be eyeing a win from Jind to consolidate its position ahead of the state assembly polls, the opposition Congress, which has been attacking the Khattar government over its alleged failure on all fronts, will also look to grab a victory.
(With PTI inputs)