CHANDIGARH: The Haryana assembly election results have indicated that the politics of 'Aaya Ram Gaya Ram’ which originated in the state is following the law of diminishing returns. Many turncoats who joined the BJP or the Congress on the eve of the elections bit the dust at the hustings.
Several leaders from other parties had joined the BJP ahead of the October 21 polls. Eleven sitting MLAs (10 from the INLD and one from the Akali Dal) joined the saffron party and seven of them were given tickets but only one of them won -- Ranbir Gangwa from Nalwa.
Turncoats fielded by the BJP who lost included Zakir Hussain and Naseem Ahmed, who had quit the INLD, from Nuh and Firozpur Jhirka respectively. Former Akali Dal leader Balkaur Singh who had joined the saffron party lost from Kalanwali seat.
Other losers included Parminder Singh Dhull from Julana, Ram Chander Kamboj from Raina, Nagendra Bhadana from Faridabad-NIT and Bachan Singh Arya from Safidon. Satish Nandal of the INLD, who had joined the BJP, lost from Garhi Sampla-Kiloi where former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda won.
At the time of ticket distribution, the top leadership of the saffron party preferred turncoats over its loyal workers, denying tickets to 12 of its sitting legislators. As a result, these disgruntled leaders fought as independents, denting the traditional vote bank of the BJP and helping the Congress and Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) immensely.
However, a few turncoats who jumped ship from the INLD to the BJP managed to win including Ram Kumar Kashyap from Indri, Vinod Bhayana from Hansi, Dura Ram Bhisnoi from Fatehabad and Jagdish Nayar from Hodal.
Two turncoats who recently joined the Congress also lost -- Ashok Arora, who was the former state president of the INLD, from Thanesar and Jai Parkash from Kalayat. But Pradeep Chaudhary who switched sides from the INLD to the Congress won from Kalka.
The JJP also fielded turncoats, of whom Ram Kumar Gautam who had joined from the Congress defeated state finance minister Capt Abhimanyu from Narnaund in the biggest upset. Also, Ishwar Singh won from Guhla and BJP deserter Jogiram Sihag from Barwala.