Kurukshetra Haryana Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Voting date, results, candidates, main parties, and schedule

Kurukshetra Harayana Lok Sabha Election 2024 - a file photo of Industrialist and BJP's candidate Naveen Jindal from Kurukshetra (Photo - PTI)

Kurukshetra, one of the 10 Lok Sabha constituencies in Haryana, is witnessing a triangular contest in the upcoming elections, with the Bharatiya Janata Party, INDIA bloc, and Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) vying for victory.

Industrialist Naveen Jindal, who recently switched from the Congress, represents the BJP in this election, while the INLD has nominated Abhay Chautala and the Aam Aadmi Party has fielded Sushil Gupta under the INDIA bloc banner.

Historically, the Congress has clinched victory in Kurukshetra eight times, followed by two wins each for the INLD and BJP. Notwithstanding the BJP's increasing vote share, it confronts significant anti-incumbency sentiment and other challenges this time.

The BJP's vote share has steadily surged since 2009, reaching 55.98% in 2019 from 36.81% in 2014. Conversely, the Congress's vote share has remained relatively stable, hovering around 25%. Meanwhile, the INLD has experienced a sharp decline, plummeting from 25.39% in 2014 to 4.93% in 2019.

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Industrialist Naveen Jindal won the Lok Sabha elections from Kurukshetra twice on Congress ticket in 2004 and 2009, while in 2014 he slipped to third place after being defeated by then BJP Member of Parliament Rajkumar Saini.

The Kurukshetra constituency encompasses nine assembly segments, with the Jat community holding sway, constituting 14% of the 1,788,491 voters. Other prominent communities include Brahmins, Sainis, Punjabis, Sikhs, and Agarwals. Notably, both Naveen Jindal and Sushil Gupta belong to the Baniya community, while Abhay Chautala represents the Jat leadership.

In a departure from previous elections, the BJP has opted not to field a candidate from the Other Backward Classes (OBC) in Kurukshetra this time. With a complex caste equation at play, the electoral outcome remains highly anticipated.