Senior Congress leader Venod Sharma’s political and monetary influence make him a favourite to win the Ambala constituency seat in the forthcoming Haryana Assembly elections. Sharma is seeking to repeat his success in the 2005 elections, when he had secured 65 per cent of the total votes, defeating his nearest rival by over 35,000 votes. The then sitting BJP MLA, had to forfeit her security deposit.

Aware of Sharma’s strength, the INLD and BJP are trying to highlight his “unsavoury and unethical background”. They are pointing to the Jessica Lal murder case, in which his son Manu Sharma has been accused of murder and Venod of influencing the witnesses, as well as to his alleged involvement in a local land scam case. “He owns two companies in the name of Alaska Constructions and Vatika. Through them, he has purchased around 160 acres of land in Ambala fraudulently. The land was acquired for public purposes but later transferred to his private companies. Even the Supreme Court has criticised the state government for this,” alleges INLD general secretary Ajay Chautala.

But the voters don’t seem too bothered about these charges. They are more concerned about his performance, which they rate as “satisfactory”, primarily due to Sharma’s ability to get people’s work done. These include transfers, job appointments, electricity connections, regularisation of illegal colonies and construction of local roads. The influence that Sharma enjoys in the Hooda government makes him a strong candidate. In his speeches, Sharma plays the development card.

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