INDIA bloc may get jolt in Karnal
Parveen Arora
Karnal, April 26
Hours after the Congress fielded its youth state president Divyanshu Budhiraja, the INDIA bloc partner, the NCP (Sharad Pawar), is set to give a jolt to the alliance in the state. Its state president Virender Maratha is likely to contest from the Karnal seat against former CM and BJP candidate Manohar Lal Khattar and Budhiraja.
A formal announcement is expected on Sunday after a meeting with his supporters, said Maratha. His decision to throw his hat into the ring has already garnered significant attention, especially with the backing of INLD leader Abhay Chautala. Maratha has gained experience through years of struggle.
He founded a regional party, Ekta Shakti Party, in 2003, and unsuccessfully contested six elections – two of the Lok Sabha and four of Vidhan Sabha, including a byelection. His electoral journey began with a bid for the Nilokheri Assembly seat in 2005, followed by a byelection for the Indri Assembly segment in 2008. Subsequently, he contested the first Lok Sabha election on BSP ticket in 2009, and later contested for the Assandh Assembly seat under the Ekta Shakti banner. In 2014, he contested the Lok Sabha elections from Karnal and the Vidhan Sabha election from Assandh on BSP ticket.
