Eye on elections, Arvind Kejriwal sharpens Haryana focus

Reminiscent of the time when Arvind Kejriwal made repeated forays into Punjab convinced that the state was ready to embrace a third party, the Aam Admi Party convenor spent more than a week in Haryana, fuelling talk of new alliances and caste equations. Assembly elections are due in Haryana in October 2019, but may be held along with parliamentary polls. Kejriwal, who stepped back from the 2014 Haryana polls after failing to win a single seat in the state in the Lok Sabha polls, seems to be preparing in right earnest for the fight this time.

From November 17 to November 25, the Delhi Chief Minister had five programmes in Haryana, each in a different district. Last Sunday, he was in Jind town where residents have been on a dharna since long opposing enhancement charges for plots allotted by Haryana Shaheri Vikas Pradhikaran (earlier HUDA). On the same day, he went to meet family of a farmer in Panipat district who had died “because of heart attack following crop failure”.

In Sonipat district, he visited martyred BSF jawan Narender Singh's family for the second time, this time with a cheque of Rs 1 crore. When the jawan was killed two months ago, Kejriwal arrived at his home to pay his condolences to the family two days ahead of Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar. The Haryana government gave the family Rs 50…