Congress candidate for the Lok Sabha elections from Kurukshetra, sitting MP Naveen Jindal, has got a shot in his arm with the joining of Kailasho Saini, president of the Women’s Cell of Indian National Lok Dal (INLD).

Jindal said her joining the Congress will help the party.

The departure of former Congress MP Tara Singh to INLD is being considered as a sort of a setback for the party.

Saini, who has twice been MP from Kurukshetra, is stated to have a good hold over the backward caste votes in the constituency. The Saini population here is 69,000 approximately. The Jats have a majority of about 1.91 lakh votes in Kurukshetra, but surprisingly no Jat has ever won elections here.

The Scheduled Caste votes are close to 1.65 lakh. There are around 65,000 Jat Sikh voters, while Punjabis number 60,000 approximately. and Jhiwar and Aggarwals together account for about one lakh votes in the constituency.

Kailasho Saini had won the Parliamentary seat from Kurukshetra first in 1998, and then again in 1999. In 1998, Saini polled more than 3.33 lakh votes to beat Kuldeep Sharma, currently the Working President of Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC).

In 1999 when there were Lok Sabha elections again, Kailasho Saini polled more than 4 lakh votes to beat late O P Jindal, father of Naveen Jindal.

Saini was hopeful of getting the INLD ticket for the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, but the then Chief Minister O P Chautala gave the Kurukshetra ticket to his younger son Abhey Chautala. Naveen Jindal had a thumping victory from this constituency.

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