Former Haryana Congress leader Kuldeep Bishnoi, wife Renuka join BJP

Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar presided over the function at the BJP office in Delhi, where Bishnoi was formally inducted into the party in the presence of state party president OP Dhankar and Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat

Four-time Adampur MLA Kuldeep Bishnoi, who had revolted against the Congress, joined Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Delhi on Thursday along with his wife and former two-term MLA Renuka Bishnoi and supporters.

Former Congress leaders Kuldeep Bishnoi and his wife Renuka with BJP president JP Nadda and Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar after joining the Bharatiya Janata Party in New Delhi on Thursday. (PTI Photo)

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Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar presided over the function at the BJP office in Delhi, where Bishnoi was formally inducted into the party in the presence of state BJP president OP Dhankar and Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.

Khattar accorded a warm welcome to Bishnoi and said that he had joined the BJP without any condition. Khattar said Bishnoi’s decision to join the BJP will help the party not only in Haryana but also in Rajasthan, where the Bishnoi community has a sizeable presence.

Khattar referred to the recent Rajya Sabha elections and how Bishnoi supported the BJP-backed Independent candidate, Kartikeya Sharma, and ensured the defeat of the official Congress candidate.

In his brief address, Bishnoi, who is also a two-term MP, assured the BJP leadership of full commitment and said that all he wanted from the BJP was respect for his workers and supporters. Dhankar assured Bishnoi that due respect and positions will be given to Bishnoi’s supporters in the BJP according to their seniority.

What he brings to the BJP is not only the political legacy of his father Bhajan Lal, who remained Haryana chief minister for 12 years, but also the Bhajan Lal clan’s rare hold over Adampur assembly segment in Hisar district where the family has never suffered a defeat.

Political observers say the Bhajan Lal family has been representing Adampur in the Vidhan Sabha for over five decades. The former non-Jat chief minister Bhajan Lal, his wife Jasma Devi, son Kuldeep Bishnoi and daughter-in-law Renuka Bishnoi have won from this seat since 1968. The constituency has a dominant Jat vote-bank followed by a substantial Bishnoi population. But in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Bishnoi’s son Bhavya had trailed by 23,000 votes from this family fortress and lost the election.