Haryana elections: Congress' Randeep Surjewala loses by a slim margin

Chandigarh, Oct 24: Congress leader and former Haryana Minister Randeep Surjewala lost from Kaithal seat in Haryana Assembly elections 2019. Surjewala, who is also the Congress spokesperson, lost to his BJP rival Leela Ram. Kaitrhal is part of Kurukshetra Lok Sabha constituency.

Surjewala, who had won from Kaithal in 2014, is seeking re-election. He had lost the Jind bypolls earlier this year.

In the 2014 Haryana Assembly elections, Surjewala won from Kaithalby defeating the INLD candidate by a margin of 23675 votes.

Surjewala gained prominence when he defeated Om Prakash Chautala in 1996 and 2005. He became the youngest Cabinet Minister in the Haryana Cabinet in 2005 under the Bhupinder Hooda-led state government.

The counting of votes for elections held across 90 seats of Haryana was held today. As of latest trends, the Haryana Assembly is heading for a hung assembly. The majority mark needed to form the govenrment in Haryana is 46 and both the Congress, BJP seemed to fall short of the mark.

In the Haryana Assembly elections 2014, the BJP won 47 of the 90 seats and wrested power from Congress which ruled the state for 10 years till then. 2014 Haryana elections saw a major change in the voting pattern as the BJP gained by 43 seats compared to 2009 while the Congress' seat share nosedived.

Surjewala was also made the Congress nominee for the January 28 Jind by-el-electionon which he lost. Some opine that hius decision to contest from Jind with his home constituency being Kaithal, left the people irked. This could be one of the factors leading to his defeat.