In Kurukshetra, it’s a long battle for modern generation Arjun now

New Delhi, May 05: Kurukshetra in Haryana is known as a land of redemption. The famous battlefield of Mahabharata and land of the Bhagavad Gita, Kurukshetra is witnessing an epic three-cornered poll battle in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections 2019 with 21st century Arjun Chautala in the fray.

The fourth-generation scion of the Chautala family, 26-year-old Arjun Chautala, a grandson of jailed former CM O P Chautala, is making his electoral debut from Kurukshetra. Arjun is the only heir apparent of the estranged Chautala family in the poll fray, whose victory or defeat will determine his family's relevance in the politics of the Jatland.

Meanwhile, the BJP has fielded its Haryana minister in CM Khattar's cabinet Nayab Saini from Kurukshetra while the Congress has nominated Nirmal Singh, a seasoned politician who has served as an MLA several times. Also, in poll fray is Jai Bhagwan Sharma, a former Zila Parishad member, of the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP), a party created after the INLD split owing to a Chautala family feud.

Kurukshetra turns hotbed for caste politics:

The seat is dominated by members of the Jat community, Saini, Jat Sikh Punjabi and others. Out of about 15 lakh voters (14,98,459), nearly half belong to OBCs. While Jats form more than 30 per cent (4 lakh) of the voters, there are nearly two lakh Dalit voters, 1.25 lakh Brahmin voters and 1 lakh Saini community voters. Saini community voters will also influence this election as there is a rift between Jat and Saini communities over reservation quota for backward classes.

During the 2014 Lok Sabha election, Raj Kumar Saini of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) - won by getting a margin of over 1.29 lakh votes. He had defeated Balbir Saini of the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD). Raj Kumar Saini had secured 418112 votes while Balbir Saini got 288376 votes.