Assembly polls can’t be fought under Bishnoi: Vij

The Haryana BJP legislature party leader in the assembly, Anil Vij, on Wednesday said that the BJP could not contest forthcoming assembly elections under the leadership of its ally Haryana Janhit Congress’ supremo, Kuldeep Bishnoi, as he himself had lost the Lok Sabha polls from Hisar.

Vij told HT that though, before the Lok Sabha polls, it had been agreed upon that the BJP and HJC would contest the Vidhan Sabha elections under Bishnoi’s leadership, it, now, did not appear possible as Bishnoi had lost his own seat.

According to the pact for Lok Sabha polls, the BJP had contested eight seats and HJC two. While the BJP won seven seats, the latter, lost both – Hisar and Sirsa.

Likewise, it was an agreement that both the parties would fight assembly elections under Bishnoi’s leadership, which now seemed unlikely.

Insisting on a review of the said agreement, he said situation had changed, adding “koi langde ghode par dao nahi lagata (no one puts a bet on a lame horse)”.

Vij said that several other BJP leaders had the same feeling and they have apprised the state leadership in the context.

With this, the voice within BJP against Bishnoi seemed to getting louder as only recently several of BJP leaders, MLAs and even BJP Kisan Morcha national president OP Dhankar, who was party’s candidate for Rohtak LS seat, had also said that as the political scenario had changed with saffron party leading in 52 assembly constituencies, the decision should be reconsidered in the review meeting of the party.