Ekta Shakti (United Force), political party in Haryana, India, founded in 2004. The party president is Maratha Virender Verma, a former government employee. Verma is the son of Shiv Ram Verma, who was a minister of the erstwhile Bharatiya Jana Sangh. Verma bases his political movement amongst a peasants caste called Road. Verma claims that the Road caste descends from the Marathas, and through using the Maratha identity he was initially able to win some support from the community. Verma builds his political discourse on the accusation that northern Haryana would be discriminated against by politicians from western Haryana.
Verma was accused of having organized party activities whilst still in government service (which is illegal).
In the 2004Lok Sabha elections the party launched three candidates from northern Haryana. They got 13 022, 82 430 and 31 202 votes.
External link
Ekta Shaktis election result 2004 (http://www.eci.gov.in/GE2004/pollupd/parties/EScontest.htm)
The EktaShakti president, Virender Verma, who calls himself `Mahratta', today asserted that his party would set a new record in Haryana by winning the three Lok Sabha seats of Karnal, Kurukshetra and Ambala.
Verma, a former bureaucrat, said that the EktaShakti was all set to win at least 65 out of 90 Assembly seats in Haryana in the next Vidhan Sabha elections.
He asserted that the EktaShakti Government in the State would not only probe corruption cases against the three Lals -- Bhajan Lal, Om Prakash Chautala and Bansi Lal -- but also put them behind bars.