Haryana polls: Independent Gopal Sukhomajri stuns with impressive poll debut in Kalka

In a surprising twist in the Kalka assembly segment, independent candidate Gopal Sukhomajri made a striking debut, capturing 21.71% of the vote share with 31,688 votes.
As counting began, Sukhomajri, 39, led in the first three rounds of counting, giving some nervous moments to BJP candidate Shakti Rani Sharma and Congress’s Pardeep Chaudhary.
Historically, Kalka has been open to independent candidates, having elected Lachman Singh as an MLA in 1967 and 1982. This time, Sukhomajri stands out as the only independent candidate among the total six in the district whose security deposit will not be forfeited, highlighting his surprising support base.
In terms of vote share, he finished third in Kalka constituency, behind Sharma who secured 60,612 votes and Chaudhary who polled 49,729 votes — even cruising ahead of Bahujan Samaj Party’s Charan Singh (1,374 votes) and Aam Aadmi Party’s Om Prakash Gurjar (858 votes).
A Class-10 pass-out, Sukhomajri had attracted attention as soon as he announced his candidature. With eight criminal cases filed against him since 2017—including charges of illegal mining, attempted murder, and Arms Act violations—he holds the distinction of having the highest number of legal troubles among candidates in Panchkula district.
He had declared assets worth ₹7 crore, offset by liabilities totaling ₹4.13 crore, primarily from commercial vehicle loans. A prominent player in the local sand mining sector, Sukhomajri owns 12 vehicles valued at ₹5.78 crore, including eight tipper trucks and four excavators.
Backed by his wife, a councillor in the Kalka municipal council, he drove his poll campaign through social media, where he announced “Becoming MLA in 2024” as his target.