After HP, setback for BJP in Haryana: INLD's Abhay Chautala who resigned over farm laws wins in bypolls

Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) leader Abhay Chautala wins in the race for Haryana's Ellenabad Assembly constituency in bypolls. Chautala won by around 6,500 votes over the ruling BJP's Gobind Kanda.

The development comes despite Mr Kanda's candidacy being supported by INLD ally JJP, which is led by the INLD leader's nephew, Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala.

Pawan Beniwal of the Congress, who switched sides from the BJP after running unsuccessfully in the 2019 election finished in third place.

Mr Chautala earlier today claimed that the BJP had distributed money to get votes and that he expected to win by more than 30,000 votes.

"After this, Chief Minister Khattar must resign... my winning margin would have been over 30,000 if there had been no horse-trading. Many crores were distributed in exchange for votes, and government machinery was exploited. I've seen it with my own eyes," he stated.

"This is not my win... it is the win of the farmers," he added.

Mr Chautala's election will be broadly perceived as a vote against the ruling BJP and its farm laws, which have sparked widespread protests in the state and across the country.

Also Read: Huge setback for BJP: Congress wins all three HP assembly seats in bypolls; CM Thakur’s chair at risk

The Ellenabad bypoll, in which people rely on agriculture, was held on Saturday and was triggered because Abhay Chautala resigned in January in solidarity with farmers.
Abhay Chautala had criticised the imposition of "black laws" as "undemocratic."

Chautala, like most parties from the northern states' agrarian belt, had been pressed to show his support for farmers protesting the controversial laws.

For over a year, thousands of farmers, mainly from Punjab and Haryana have camped out on the Delhi borders to protest laws that they claim will deprive them of MSP and leave them at the mercy of corporates.

During his campaign, Abhay Chautala was criticised by both Congress and the BJP. The rivals were united in their objection of Mr Chautala for forcing the bypoll. Several members of his own family, who are currently members of the ruling BJP-JJP coalition, were among the attackers.

During the campaign, Abhay Chautala's elder brother and JJP chief Ajay Singh Chautala, as well as Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala, blamed him for the downturn of his party.