BJP will retain all 10 LS seats in Haryana: Party's Ambala candidate Banto Kataria

Chandigarh: It is her first Lok Sabha election but Banto Kataria, BJP candidate from Ambala and former Union minister Rattan Lal Kataria's wife, is confident that the work done by the party's "double-engine" government and her husband's legacy would ensure her victory.

"It will be '400 paar' this time. People have made up their mind to bring back (Narendra) Modi ji as the prime minister for the third time," Banto Kataria told PTI, referring to the BJP's target of winning over 400 seats in the Lok Sabha polls.

She said she tells voters in her constituency that in these 400-plus seats, one should be from Ambala.

Haryana has benefitted a lot from the "double-engine" government. The speed of development projects and implementation of schemes has gained momentum in the state, the BJP candidate said.

During the last 10 years, the country has made rapid progress under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, including in agriculture and infrastructure sectors, she added.

"The Modi government also took many steps towards women empowerment, which has remained a pivotal focus of the Centre," said Banto Kataria, citing the passage of the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam in Parliament and various government schemes.

The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam provides for reserving one-third seats in the Lok Sabha and legislative assemblies for women.

Over 10 crore LPG connections have been provided under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, the BJP candidate said.

The 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' scheme, which was launched by Prime Minister Modi nine years ago from Panipat, has also yielded positive results in the state, she said.

The 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' scheme aims to prevent gender-based elimination of foetus and ensure the survival and protection of the girl child as well as her education.

Banto Kataria said a lot of development took place in Ambala under former chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar.

Now, the Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini-led government will take Haryana to new heights, she said.

"It is also a matter of happiness for the people of the Ambala region that for the first time after Haryana was carved out as a separate state, we have a chief minister from Ambala district," she said.

"Only in the BJP can an ordinary worker rise to the top," she said.

Like the 2019 general elections, Banto Kataria claimed, the BJP will win all the 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana, which goes to polls on May 25.

She said she has been campaigning in different parts of Ambala parliamentary constituency, including Panchkula and Yamunanagar, and has been getting a lot of support from the people.

Banto Kataria acknowledges that the support she is getting is in part due to the legacy left behind by her husband.

"People loved Kataria ji a lot. He always used to tell people that the doors of his home are always open for everyone... he used to raise people's voice and issues connected to them in Parliament and was always concerned about the region's development," she said.

She said her husband's dream was to make Ambala the number one city in north India.

A lot of work has already been done in this direction. Ambala has good road and rail connectivity and industry can flourish here. The tourism sector also has a lot of potential, she added.

Rattan Lal Kataria, who was the BJP's Dalit face in Haryana, represented Ambala in the Lok Sabha three times. After he passed away last year, the BJP fielded his wife as its candidate from the Ambala (reserved) constituency.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Rattan Lal Kataria defeated Congress veteran Kumari Selja by a margin of 3.42 lakh votes.

Banto Kataria also targeted the Congress, dubbing it a "divided house". The party has not even announced its Ambala candidate yet, she said.

Haryana Agriculture Minister and BJP MLA from Jagadhri in Yamunanagar Kanwar Pal, Transport Minister and Ambala City MLA Aseem Goel, and Ambala Cantt MLA Anil Vij have campaigned for Banto Kataria.

Banto Kataria is pitted against INLD's Gurpreet Singh, a Sikh face.