In a huge setback for the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), Abhay Singh Chautala has lost the Ellenabad assembly constituency in Haryana. Chautala lost the three-party contest to Congress' Bharat Singh Beniwal by a margin of more than 14,861 votes, according to the Election Commission of India (ECI).
BJP's Amir Chand Talwara also lost from the constituency by a margin of 64,263 votes. The constituency witnessed a three-party contest between veteran Abhay Singh Chautala, Congress' Bharat Singh Beniwal and Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Amir Chand Talwara.
Chautala has retained the Chautala family stronghold since the 2010 Haryana bypolls, triggered by a shift in political alliances and disqualifications. In 2010, Chautala had won the seat with a vote share of 50.75 per cent and a total of 64,813 votes. Four years later, he saw a decline in his vote share but a rise in the number of votes in Ellenabad.
In 2014 assembly election, Chautala won by a margin of 46.65 per cent and garnered 69.162 votes. In 2019, he not only saw a decline in his vote share but also the number of votes. Abhay Singh Chautala got 37.86 per cent vote share and 57,055 votes.
In 2021, Chautala resigned as the sole MLA from his party citing the Centre's refusal to accept farmers' demands. After this, he was elected once again in the 2021 bypolls. This time, Chautala won the assembly seat back with more than 65,000 votes and garnered a vote share of 43.69 per cent.
How have Chautala's opponents fared so far?
Beniwal and Talwara, on the other hand, are looking to dethrone Chautala in Ellenabad. Both Beniwal and Talwara have previously unsuccessfully for the assembly seat back in 2009, when Om Prakash Chautala won from the seat.
Back to his son Abhay Chautala, the senior INLD leader has faced three-way contests for the past few elections. He has benefitted from the three-way contests due to his strong and steady voter base in the farmer-led constituency.
Chautala's challenges in Ellenabad
Despite forging alliances with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and getting support from Gopal Kanda's Haryana Lokhit Party, Chautala's situation is much more complex in this election. Chautala is grappling with changing voter dynamics. BJP's Amir Chand Mehta appears weak at present, which could consolidate votes against Abhay Singh Chautala and potentially benefit Congress.
Abhay Singh Chautala is also facing widespread voter dissatisfaction due to local governance issues such as unemployment, farmer distress and inflation.