Haryana elections: Khattar rides on Modi wave, Congress plays the outsider card in Karnal

Karnal: Bharatiya Janata Party is riding high on the Narendra Modi wave and is hopeful of a repeat of the Lok Sabha polls results in the Haryana Assembly elections. Even though Manohar Lal Khattar, the candidate from Karnal constituency is an outsider, he is being seen by many as the potential chief minister of the state.

The incumbent Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda may have to face the ire of the people. After a drubbing in the Lok Sabha elections, the Congress is trying hard to regain lost ground but people are clearly displeased with the present government.

Many accuse Hooda of developing only his constituency and areas in and around Rohtak.

Rohit Jindal, a shop keeper, expressed his displeasure with the ruling Congress government. "There has been no development here. Hooda devloped only Rohtak. There is unemployment too," he said.

He also said that Modi wave still exists in the country. "Modi wave is another factor and Khattar will get votes. Even Independent candidate Jai Prakash Gupta is very strong here."

Backing Jindal's opinion was another shop keeper Ramesh Kumar. He said, "The Chief Minister did not do anything for Karnal. There is no development and he concentrated only at Rohtak. The Congress will get only 15-16 seats."

But women voters seemed satisfied with the Hooda government. Sushma Kataria said, "I am happy with the Congress government."

There were others for whom the government did not matter and they said, "Everyone is same."

Even as the Congress has managed to hold on to the Karnal seat, people seem to be following the Modi wave, even though those supporting the Congress call Manohar Lal Khattar an outsider.

According to Congress candidate Surendra Singh Narwal, Khattar is an outsider. "Even people at Modi's rally in Karnal shouted slogans 'Bahari bhagao, Karnal bachao' (Send the outsider back home, save Karnal), Narwal said.

While the outsider and insider war between the Congress and BJP persists, people in Karnal are not really looking at regional parties like INLD and HJC.