Independents have won seat 5 times from Nilokheri segment
Tribune News Service
Karnal, August 26
The Nilokheri Assembly segment, one of the five constituencies in Karnal district, has a unique voting pattern. It has a history of electing independent candidates for maximum five times out of the 13 elections held so far, showing its unpredictable voter preferences.
Since the first election in 1967, when Shiv Ram Verma of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh won the seat, the Nilokheri Assembly segment has witnessed a different scenario in every election.
The Bharatiya Jana Sangh, Indian National Congress (INC), Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), Janata Party and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have all tasted success here. The Congress, INLD, and Jana Sangh have each won the seat twice, while the Janata Party and BJP have only managed one victory each.
The winning streak of independent candidates started in 1968 with Chanda Singh’s victory, a trend that continued with other independents in 1982, 1987, and 1991. In 1972, Bharatiya Jana Sangh’s Shiv Ram Verma won the seat, while in 1977 he won on the ticket of Janata Party.
Independent candidate Chanda Singh won in 1982, while Jai Singh Rana in 1987 and in 1991 as an independent candidate. Rana’s influence was so strong that after joining the Congress, he won the seat again in 1996.
In 2000, INLD candidate Dharm Pal won the seat, while in 2005, Jai Singh Rana again won the seat on the Congress ticket. In 2009, the assembly segment was reserved for the SC community. In 2009, INLD candidate Mamu Ram, while in 2014, BJP candidate Bhagwan Das Kabirpanthi secured victory.
In the 2019 Assembly election, the constituency once again witnessed an independent candidate, Dharampal Gonder, clinching the seat. Gonder’s narrow victory by a margin of 2,222 votes over BJP’s Bhagwan Das Kabirpanthi highlighted the nature of tough contests in the constituency. The Congress secured the third position, with its candidate Banta Ram getting just 19,736 votes, acccording to data added.
Meanwhile, political battle has intensified in the Nilokheri Assembly segment as the date of the election draws near. The constituency, comprising major towns like Nilokheri, Taraori, Nissing and 76 villages, has a total of 2,34,017 registered voters, including 1,21,570 males, 112,443 females and three transgender voters.
Political analysts believe that Nilokheri’s voters prioritise a candidate’s merit over party affiliation, which has led to the repeated success of independent candidates. Jai Singh Rana has a record of being elected MLA four times, including two times as independent MLA.
However, the candidates are yet to be declared, but political experts say in the present scenario, it seems to be a battle between the BJP and Congress. “In the upcoming elections, the battle seems to be between the Congress and BJP as the probable candidates of both parties are strong. It may be a tough contest,” said Dr Ramji Lal, former principal of Dyal Singh College and a political analyst.
