Voters dethrone both sitting MLAs in Panchkula district

Anti-incumbency was writ large in the Assembly election results in the district with both sitting MLAs of Kalka and Panchkula suffering defeat. While Congress leader and former Deputy Chief Minister of Haryana Chander Mohan defeated Gian Chand Gupta in their second faceoff in Panchkula and made a comeback after 16 years, Shakti Rani Sharma of the BJP secured a comfortable win over two-time MLA Pardeep Chaudhary in Kalka.

The contest between Chander Mohan and Gupta had kept their supporters on tenterhooks till the counting was over. Counting at Government College, Sector 1, began at 8 am. Chander Mohan was leading by a margin of 764 votes in the first round. Two-time MLA Gupta took the lead in the fourth round.

Panchkula

Chander Mohan (Cong)

67,253

Gian Chand Gupta (BJP): 65,277

Margin: 1,976

Kalka

Shakti Rani Sharma (BJP)

60,497

Pardeep Chaudhary (Cong): 49,544

Margin: 10,953

Chander Mohan and Gupta were sitting at the same site watching the counting of votes. The gap grew to 1,115 votes in the fifth round and further to 4,621 in the 10th round, in favour of Gupta. By the 14th round, his lead reduced to 92 votes and the picture changed in the next. At the end of 15th round, Chander Mohan was ahead of Gupta by 1,232 votes. The two remained glued to their seats, while Congress workers came out of the counting centre and gathered on the road. They started dancing to Haryanvi songs the moment Chander Mohan sealed the victory by a margin of 1,976 votes. He polled 67,253 votes.

In Kalka, Independent Gopal Sukhomajri led in the initial rounds, but Shakti Rani Sharma secured a comfortable win in the end.

Top priorities of winners

I am thankful to the conscious residents of Panchkula for voting for me. I will try to deliver to their expectations. —Chander Mohan, Panchkula MLA elect

I will work on eliminating the drug menace on priority and creating employment opportunities in the constituency. — Shakti Rani, Kalka MLA elect

Shakti Rani took lead in the fourth round. Pardeep Chaudhary also went past Sukhomajri, but Shakti’s tally grew bigger and bigger in the successive rounds. The gap between the two increased by 5,097 votes by the end of the 6th round, and went further up to 10,953 votes by the end of the 10th round.

Shakti was accompanied by her husband Venod Sharma and son Kartikeya. She secured a comfortable win against Pardeep Chaudhary by a margin of 10,833 votes.

The sitting Ambala Mayor collected her victory certificate from the counting centre and embarked on a roadshow towards Kalka and Pinjore. Her convoy was surrounded by a large number of supporters. On reaching Kalka, she paid obeisance at the Kali Mata temple.

Chander Mohan makes a comeback

A former Deputy CM and son of former Chief Minister Bhajan Lal, Chander Mohan was elected to the state Legislative Assembly four times — in 1993 byelection, 1996, 2000 and 2005. He changed his name to Chand Mohammad in 2008. His political career was cut short for once due to controversies shrouding his ex-wife’s death. He attempted to get back in the state politics in 2019, but lost to Gian Chand Gupta of the BJP by a margin of 5,633 votes.

From mayor to becoming MLA

Sitting Ambala Mayor and wife of Jan Chetna Party leader Venod Sharma, Shakti Rani Sharma had unsuccessfully contested the Kalka seat in 2014 polling only 7,661 votes. She was inducted in the BJP only two days before she was fielded from the constituency. She has assured people of more job opportunities and development of industry in Kalka region.

Issues at play

Panchkula: The state government’s failure to clear the garbage dump on forest land in Jhuriwala village gathered much attention. Residents living in Sectors 21 to 28 had staged protests against the government over the issue. The dilapidated condition of roads, recurrent waterlogging in the city, poor condition of slum dwellers and allowing stilt-plus-four constructions were the other factors at play during the elections.

Kalka: Unemployment and a poor development in the past five years have been major factors. Drug menace and a shortage of potable water were other prominent issues in the constituency. Former Congress MLA Pardeep Chaudhary had claimed during his campaigns that Kalka was ignored by the BJP government. The BJP sought votes to ensure development of the region.