BJP’s first list for Haryana polls triggers a string of resignations

t least 12 senior BJP leaders, including a cabinet minister, one MLA, and six ex-MLAs, resigned from the party on Thursday upset over its first list of 67 candidates for the Haryana polls even as other leaders indicated that they were considering all options ahead of the nomination deadline.

The list of people who resigned included sitting minister Ranjit Singh Chautala, other backward classes unit chief Karan Dev Kamboj, Ratia lawmaker Laxman Dass Napa, and farmer unit chief Sukhvinder Sheoran. Kamboj is a former OBC morcha chief and Sheoran is a former Kisan Morcha chief.

Talking to media, Kamboj said that the BJP has fielded “traitors”. “The BJP has ignored my dedication and spirit towards the party. The turnocats were given tickets and no merit was followed in ticket distribution,” he said.

Former Badhra MLA Sukhvinder Sheoran said that party has “compromised with its ideology and given tickets to turncoats”. “BJP workers’ morale has gone down.”

The leaders sent their resignations to state party chief Mohan Lal Badoli and announced their decision to contest independently.

The BJP leadership in Delhi tried to downplay the resignations. “The list was drawn after extensive survey on the ground and the cadres’ views were sought. Winnability was the main criterion, and the party ensured representation to every caste and community. The party itself has grown manifold and there the number of aspirants is large, so it is inevitable that there will be some rebellion,” said a senior leader, requesting anonymity.

The leader underscored that the senior leadership in the state as well as the centre were in “touch” with the rebels and remained hopeful of resolving their concerns. “Some leaders who cannot be fielded as contestants will be accommodated in the party, there are various other avenues,” the leader added.

The BJP faces anti-incumbency after being in power for 10 years and issues related to caste, reservation and complaints of governance deficit have emerged as challenges for the party. Fielding fresh candidates, the leader quoted above, was aimed at blunting anti-incumbency.

In its first list, the party changed 40 candidates, of which 27 are fresh faces and 21 under 50. There are eight women candidates, and 14 tickets have been given to candidates from backward sections. “There is representation to various castes, including Gurjar, Yadav, Kashyap, Kumhar, Kamboj, Rajput and Saini and the party has ensured Dalits get proper representation in this list,” said a second party functionary, requesting anonymity.

In the first list, 40 are from the general category, 14 from the OBC groups, and 13 from scheduled castes.

On Thursday, Haryana power minister Chautala convened a meeting of his supporters at Rania before announcing his decision to resign as minister as well as from the primary membership of the BJP. The BJP has nominated Shishpal Kamboj to contest from the seat.

Chautala said that he is the son of former deputy prime minister Devi Lal and could not compromise in any situation. “I will contest as an independent from Rania. The BJP offered me a ticket from Dabwali but I turned down the proposal. I am resigning from the cabinet and the primary membership of the party,” he said.

In the 2019 assembly elections, Chautala contested as an Independent candidate after the Congress denied him the ticket. He defeated Haryana Lokhit Party candidate Gobind Kanda. Later, he became a cabinet minister in the BJP government.

Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, he joined the BJP and contested from Hisar but lost to Congress’s Jai Parkash. Despite not being part of the Haryana assembly since the Lok Sabha elections, Chautala remained a minister.

In Ratia, Laxman Dass Napa joined the Congress on Thursday, hours after the BJP replaced him with former Sirsa MP Sunita Duggal and in Badhra, the party pitched activist Umed Pathuwas in place of Sheoran. Sheoran has called a meeting of his supporters to decide on the future.

Senior BJP leader Shamsher Singh Kharkhara, who lost from Meham in 2019, also quit the party after he was denied the ticket. The BJP has named former Indian kabaddi team captain Deepak Hooda from Meham and Kharkara is likely to join the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP).

In Garhi-Sampla-Kiloi ,the BJP named zila parishad chairperson Manju Hooda. The Congress turncoat Krishan Murti, who was expecting BJP’s ticket to take a call whether to stay in BJP or not. The Congress is expected to name former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda from the seat.

In Safidon, former MLA Bachan Singh Arya resigned from the BJP after JJP rebel Ram Kumar Gautam was fielded. Arya will contest as an Independent. Gautam joined the BJP at a rally in Jind last Sunday.

In Sohna, Haryana sports minister Sanjay Singh, who represents Sohna seat, also called his workers’ meeting on September 7 to take a decision after the BJP replaced him with Tejpal Tanwar. He has not resigned from the party, so far.

In Bhiwani, BJP leader Shashi Ranjan Parmar has also called a meeting of his workers on Friday, after party fielded Kiran Choudhry’s daughter Shruti instead of him. Choudhry had defeated Parmar from Tosham in the 2019 polls.

In Hisar, the BJP’s 2019 Uklana seat nominee Seema Gebipur had quit the party after her ticket was given to Anoop Dhanak, who recently switched over to BJP from Jannayak Janata party.

In Sonepat, former Haryana minister Kavita Jain burst into tears and gave the party high command an ultimatum to change candidate Nikhil Madan within three days.

Nikhil was earlier an associate of Rohtak MP Deepender Singh Hooda and shifted to the BJP few months ago. He is the mayor of Sonepat. Kavita Jain won the 2014 elections from Sonepat but lost to Congress’s Surender Panwar in 2019.

In Hisar, supporters of former minister Savitri Jindal, the mother of Kurukshetra BJP MP Naveen Jindal, urged her to contest as an independent after the BJP retained health minister Kamal Gupta as its candidate from the high-profile seat. Savitri and her son Naveen had joined the BJP in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections. She was seeking the BJP ticket from Hisar but the party did not consider her.

Savitri indicated that she would contest as an independent, posing a challenge to the party. Asked whether the party has reached out to her, the first central leader cited above said although she was a renowned personality in the state, the party did not want to alienate the minister, who had also threatened to quit. She had lost to him in the 2014 elections.

“There were several leaders who put pressure on the leadership to sidestep its own rule of avoiding fielding people from the same clan. The party has a stated position against parivaarwad (dynastic politics), yet at least half a dozen leaders, including MPs, MLAs and other party functionaries who had sought tickets for the kids or spouses...Since Naveen Jindal is already an MP, the party felt it should give the ticket to Gupta,” said the leader, requesting anonymity.

In the first list, Union minister Rao Inderjit Singh’s daughter Arti and Rajya Sabha member Kiran Chaudhary’s daughter Shruti were accommodated. But people aware of the details said several other leaders, including a Union minister, a senior party functionary in the BJP’s highest decision-making body, and several lawmakers were pushing the party to consider their kin.

The second leader admitted that the party will face a challenge from the rebels. “For instance, a section of party leaders are upset that Shakti Rani, the mayor of Ambala who joined the party three or four days ago, has been fielded from Kalka. The CM’s candidature from Ladwa has also raised eyebrows as he has not opted to contest from Karnal, his existing seat or Narayangarh where he had contested from before,” the second leader said, requesting anonymity.