Chandigarh: BJP’s first list of candidates for the Haryana assembly polls on 21 October is a handsome reward for turncoats who had joined the party over time. The list of 78 candidates out of 90 seats also has some big names from the sports world.
The list was released by the BJP office in New Delhi Monday and the last date for filing nominations is 4 October.
Three sportspersons, including wrestler Babita Phogat, former Indian hockey captain Sandeep Singh and Olympic medalist Yogeshwar Dutt will be contesting from Dadri, Pehowa and Baroda, respectively. This is the first time that so many renowned sportspersons are in the electoral fray in Haryana, a state which has made an international mark in sports.
Besides them, the BJP has richly rewarded defecting MLAs from rival Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) party — six turncoats have been given tickets. Some other leaders from the Congress and Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) — a breakaway faction of the INLD — also have been given tickets. There are 11 defectors in this list of 78 candidates.
List confirms break-up of SAD-BJP ties
The BJP has largely accommodated its sitting MLAs, barring eight of them which include two cabinet ministers — Vipul Goel and Rao Narbir Singh. Vidhan Sabha Deputy Speaker Santosh Yadav has been replaced by Sita Ram Yadav from Ateli. Karan Dev Kamboj will replace MLA and Chief Parliamentary Secretary Shyam Singh in Radaur.
Five other sitting MLAs too have been denied tickets. Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, meanwhile, has been fielded again from Karnal, from where he had won in 2014.
As in the 2014 assembly polls, the BJP has fielded two Muslim candidates — Zakir Hussain from Nuh and Nadeem Ahmed from Ferozepur Jhirka, both of whom had defected from the INLD.
Other INLD defectors who have been fielded by the BJP include Parminder Dhull from Jullana, Ranveer Gangwa from Nalwa, Ram Chander Kamboj from Rania and Nagender Bhadana from Faridabad NIT. INLD Rajya Sabha MP Ram Kumar Kashyap has been fielded from Indri.
Satish Nandal, who was the district president of INLD, has been fielded from Garhi Sampla Kiloi, the seat from which former Congress chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda is likely to contest.
Congress defectors Vinod Bhayana and Bachan Singh Arya have also been fielded from Hansi and Safidon, respectively. JJP leader Jagdish Nayyar is now BJP’s candidate from Hodal.
Haryana BJP president Subhash Barala will contest from Tohana, Finance Minister Captain Abhimanyu from Narnod and Agriculture Minister Om Prakash Dhankar from Badli. Aditya Devilal, a grandson of Jat stalwart Devi Lal, has been fielded from Dabwali.
The list also confirms the break-up of ties between Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the BJP since three seats on which the Akalis had wanted their candidates to be fielded from have been finalised — defecting SAD MLA Balkaur Singh has been fielded from Kalanwali and two other Sikh candidates from Assand and Sadhaura.
The list includes nine women.
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BJP confident of bigger mandate
The party is yet to finalise names of 12 seats including the controversial Rewari constituency from where Union minister and Gurugram MP Rao Inderjit Singh is seeking to launch his daughter Amrita Rao, also a sportsperson. The party, however, has not agreed to give a second ticket to the same family.
The BJP hasn’t declared its candidate for the Gurugram seat.
With a weak Opposition that has suffered a shrinking support base as witnessed in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP is confident of returning to power with an even bigger mandate in the state. Riding on ‘Modi wave’, the party had stormed to power in Haryana for the first time in 2014, winning 47 seats. It had earlier been part of non-Congress governments in the state as a junior partner and was never seen as a principal force.
But after coming to power, it has consolidated its position further as its rivals, Congress and INLD, were hit by internal fight made worse by their repeated poor shot in different polls.
This, coupled with “popular support” to the party following the Union government’s decision to nullify Article 370, will further boost its chances in the elections, its leaders have said.
The BJP believes Khattar, who was a surprise pick for the CM’s post after the 2014 win, enjoys a clean image after running a government “untainted” by any allegation of corruption. He is again the party’s choice for the top post.
In 2014, the BJP had benefited from the consolidation of non-Jat voters behind it in a state long dominated by leaders from the community. The party’s choice of Khattar, who is from the Punjabi community, was apparently driven by it. It is, however, hopeful of winning over a significant section of Jats this time.
With inputs from PTI
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