Hyderabad: Haryana Lokhit Party leader Gopal Kanda, the winning candidate from Sirsa assembly constituency in Haryana, emerges as the kingmaker who can help the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) to form a new government in the state.
Gopal Kanda defeated his nearest rival Gokul Setia, an Independent, by a slender margin of 602 votes from Sirsa in the Haryana Assembly polls. Popular Haryanvi singer Sapna Chaudhary, who joined the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) recently, had campaigned for Kanda, leaving her party red-faced.
A former minister, Kanda is an influential politician in Haryana. Earlier, he played the role of kingmaker with other independent MLAs in 2009, in the formation of Congress government in Haryana.
Kanda's political life
Gopal Kanda, who tried business in various ventures involving shoes had strong political ambitions. Kanda's business expanded when Chautala became the chief minister of Haryana in 1999.
Kanda's relationship with the Chautala family did not work out when they refused to select Kanda as an INLD candidate in the 2009 state assembly elections. After facing rejection from INLD, he contested as an independent candidate from Sirsa and defeated the INLD candidate, Padam Jain, by a margin of 6521 votes.
Gopal Kanda's business rise
In 2007, Kanda launched MDLR airlines, named after father Murli Dhar Lakh Ram. The airline's operations stopped in 2009, after losses and suffering a 2008 tax raid in which numerous employees were convicted.
Kingmaker
He played the role of Kingmaker by supporting Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda in forming government in Haryana. He was rewarded with a cabinet post and made Minister of State for Home in Haryana. Kanda resigned from office in the Haryana home ministry after he was arrested.
Kanda's controversial past
His name had come up in a case of suicide by a woman employee of his airline company. In August 2012, Kanda was arrested after a former air-hostess with his MDLR airlines committed suicide accusing him of harassment.
The former air hostess, Geetika Sharma was found dead on August 5, 2012, at her Ashok Vihar residence in northwest Delhi. In her August 4 suicide note, she had said that she was ending her life due to "harassment" by Kanda and his employee Aruna Chadha.
Delhi Police took him in custody, with charges including abetting the suicide, criminal conspiracy and criminal intimidation and sending false electronic messages. The air hostess mother too committed suicide in 2013.
In March 2014, Delhi HC dropped the sexual exploitation charges against him. He was released on bail after fourteen months of custody. He is still facing trial in the Geetika Sharma suicide case.
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