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Constituency Profile/Ambala

Tough trio battle it out

It's a tough triangular battle in Ambala, a reserved Lok Sabha constituency currently held by Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker Suraj Bhan, a candidate of the ruling Haryana Vikas Party-Bharatiya Janata Party combine.

The constituency, which has often witnessed keen contests between the Congress and the BJP, now finds more competition in the form of the Haryana Lok Dal (Rashtriya)-Bahujan Samaj Party combine.

During the last three Lok Sabha elections, the HLD (R) and the BSP competed with each other, securing over 100,000 votes and ending up in the third and fourth positions respectively.

But now that they have teamed up, their candidate, state BSP president Aman Kumar Nagra, looks like a formidable contender for the seat.

The Congress, which has won this seat in seven of the 11 Lok Sabha polls, has fielded former chief parliamentary secretary Raj Kumar Balmiki, who is contesting a general election for the first time.

Besides these three nominees, there are six other candidates in the fray, including Amar Dass of the Janata Dal, Man Phool Singh (SJP-Rashtriya) and Maya Ram (BSP-Ambedkar). The others are Independents.

During the 1996 election, Suraj Bhan polled 253,555 votes against the 166,408 votes secured by his nearest Congress rival, Sher Singh. Nagra got 164,288 votes, while Balwant Singh of the Samata Party, now called the HLD (R), finished fourth with 135,702 votes.

This time 1.092 million voters are eligible to exercise their franchise as against 1.096 million voters during the last election. The electorate seems unenthusiastic about another go at the ballot boxes and electioneering is yet to pick up in the constituency.

The campaign is, by and large, confined to pleading at a personal level and street corner meetings. The Congress entered the campaign late, when candidates of the HVP-BJP and HLD(R)-BSP alliances had covered large parts of the constituency.

Former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee addressed a public meeting in Ambala to gather support for Suraj Bhan on January 27 while, on February 3, former deputy prime minister Devi Lal and BSP chief Kanshi Ram addressed a joint public meeting in Nagra's support. Haryana Chief Minister Bansi Lal also addressed meetings in six of the nine assembly segments of the constituency during a two-day tour.

The Congress has so far not organised any big public meeting in the constituency. The party is believed to have put up a weak candidate due to infighting and rivalry within the organisation.

The party first cleared the candidature of Ram Chander Bidlan, who is considered close to former minister and Rajya Sabha member Shamsher Singh Surjewala. Later, Balmiki replaced him.

Both the Opposition parties and the electorate describe Balmiki, who is from Karnal district, as an outsider. Balmiki refutes this, pointing out that he owns a house at Panchkula in the Ambala constituency. The dalits who had earlier rallied around former ministers Phool Chand Mullana, K R Punia and Sher Singh, all of whom were serious contenders for the party ticket, resent Balmiki. This group within the Congress has not extended Balmiki its whole-hearted support.

Partymen owing allegiance to state Congress president Bhupinder Singh Hooda, former chief minister Bhajan Lal and Surjewala have maintained a silence over Balmiki's nomination.

Suraj Bhan and Nagra are also not immune from intra-party factionalism and are threatened by sabotage from the rank and file belonging to their respective parties.

Bhan faces stiff opposition from former partyman Anil Vij, now an Independent legislator from Ambala cantonment, who has launched a 'Suraj Bhan Hatao' campaign. Various dissident groups in the BJP are reportedly rallying round him to ensure Bhan's defeat.

Bhan had allegedly arranged for Vij's expulsion from the BJP because he decided to contest the 1996 assembly election from Ambala cantonment as an Independent. The sitting MP's position is shaky because of what is being described as ''his non-performance'' during four stints as a Lok Sabha member.

Meanwhile, though the HLD (R) and BSP leaders are in agreement, workers of the two parties are not yet fully reconciled to the changed political scenario.

Upper caste HLD (R) workers are slow to support Nagra because he had clashed with them in the past over various land and property disputes.

Janata Dal candidate Amar Dass, who is also being supported by the Left parties, is expected to get a sizeable chunk of votes in the industrial belt comprising Jagadhri, Kalka and Naraingarh areas where the Communists have considerable influence.

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