Sirsa Assembly Election Result 2024: Gopal Kanda, the head of the Haryana Lokhit Party (HLP) and a candidate seeking re-election from the Sirsa Assembly seat, is currently trailing by 2,386 votes, according to the Election Commission’s latest trends. Congress’ Gokul Setia has taken the lead by 2,386 votes. Earlier, the ruling BJP’s candidate for Sirsa, Rohtash Jangra, withdrew his nomination after indications that the party might support incumbent MLA Gopal Kanda, who has been a supporter of the state government.

Jangra, while speaking to PTI, said, “The decision has been taken in the interest of the state and the country. We have to ensure a Congress-mukt Haryana (Congress-free Haryana).”

Both the BJP and Congress are contesting 89 of the 90 Assembly seats, with Congress leaving the Bhiwani seat for the CPI(M). Voting took place on October 5, and the results will be declared on October 8. The ruling BJP is aiming for a third consecutive victory but faces tough competition from a resurgent Congress, which is hoping to capitalize on anti-incumbency sentiments.

Gopal Kanda’s journey has been diverse, starting from dropping out of school to building a business empire. He has worked as an electrician, shoe shop owner, car dealer, real estate broker, industrialist, and airline owner. A wealthy politician with extensive business interests, Kanda was once closely associated with the Chautala family. He entered electoral politics in 2009, contesting as an independent candidate and winning. He later supported the Indian National Congress (INC) under Bhupinder Singh Hooda, which led to his appointment as Minister of State for Home in Haryana.

Kanda’s political career has been plagued by controversy, most notably the 2012 suicide of Geetika Sharma, a former air hostess with his MDLR airlines. In her suicide note, Sharma accused Kanda of harassment. Kanda was charged with rape, abetment to suicide, criminal conspiracy, and criminal intimidation, though he was acquitted in 2023. Beyond the Sharma case, Kanda has faced accusations of tax evasion, cheating, and illegal property development in Sirsa.

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Gokul Setia is seen as a formidable opponent, drawing strength from the political legacy of his late maternal grandfather Lachhman Das Arora, who represented Sirsa five times and served as a Congress minister on three occasions. However, Setia, who joined Congress earlier this month at the age of 35, faces resistance from some senior members of the party.

In the 2019 elections, Kanda narrowly won the Sirsa seat by just 602 votes over Gokul Setia, who had then contested as an Independent. The contest was triangular, with the BJP securing over 30,000 votes, while the Congress managed only 10,000 votes from a total of 1.42 lakh votes cast.

The Sirsa assembly constituency, primarily urban, is a key battleground in the Haryana elections, reflecting a blend of Punjabi, Bagri, and Rajasthani cultures. It falls under the Sirsa Lok Sabha constituency, where Congress candidate Kumari Selja won in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections by a massive margin of 2,68,497 votes, defeating BJP’s Ashok Tanwar.