ELLENABAD (HARYANA): Ellenabad recorded 81.38% voting in the bypoll held on Saturday. The bypoll was necessitated after Abhay Singh Chautala, MLA from Ellenabad and senior leader of Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), tendered his resignation to Vidhan Sabha Speaker, Gyan Chand Gupta on January 27, this year. Abhay Singh Chautala had resigned to support the on-going farmers agitation.
There have been allegations of distribution of money on behalf of Opposition candidates at some places in Ellenabad, but the police also started probing the allegations. So far no case has been registered.
Ellenabad was founded during the British colonization of Kahrial by then Sirsa district commissioner J H Oliver, who renamed the town after his daughter, Ellenabad. Oliver did this as a gesture of appreciation for the accommodations provided during his wife’s pregnancy.
Controversial Haryana leader Gopal Kanda was an accused in the suicide case of Geetika Sharma, an air hostess who worked for his aviation company. In 2012, Gopal Kanda was arrested for allegedly abetting Geetika Sharma’s suicide.
In view of the Ellenabad by-election, 34 companies of Paramilitary Force and four companies of Haryana Armed Force were deployed.
A total of 211 polling stations were set up for polling, on which 1.86 lakh voters were to cast their votes.
Abhay Singh Chautala is in the fray from the Indian National Lok Dal for the by-election. He had resigned in support of three agricultural laws at the end of January. On the other hand, Govind Kanda, who is younger brother of former home minister and MLA from Sirsa assembly seat Gopal Kanda is in the electoral fray from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
Gobind Kanda had left his own party namely Haryana Lokhit Party (HLP) and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party about a month ago.
On the other hand, Pawan Beniwal, who was once a close associate of INLD senior leader Abhay Singh Chautala is contesting from Congress ticket.
Pawan Beniwal contested as a BJP candidate in the 2014 and 2019 Haryana Assembly elections. But Abhay Singh Chautala clinched the Ellenabad seat from him. Beniwal left BJP about three months ago and joined the Congress party.
Counting of votes will be conducted on November 2, just two days before Diwali festival.