Haryana elections: BJP names 67 candidates, CM Saini from Ladwa

BJP announces 67 candidates for Haryana assembly polls, retaining 21 incumbents, introducing 20 new faces, and dropping 8 MLAs amid anti-incumbency.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday declared 67 candidates for the upcoming assembly polls by banking on 21 sitting legislators, and introducing at least 20 new faces, while dropping at least eight sitting MLAs in a bid to buck the strong anti-incumbency of its 10 years in power in Haryana.

Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini. (HT file)

The BJP’s first list, released on Wednesday evening, comes a day before the nomination process for the 90-seat assembly starting on Thursday. Wednesday’s list is a culmination of a series of meetings the party’s top brass held while exercising extreme caution in selecting the candidates.

It is a mix of caste, sub-caste and gender with the party trying to do a balancing act within different sub-castes among the Scheduled Castes too. In most of the total declared 13 reserved seats for the Scheduled Castes, the party has fielded new candidates.

In a clear indication of the unease, the BJP has shifted chief minister Nayab Singh Saini from the Karnal segment from where he won about three months back, to an apparently safe seat Ladwa. Jagmohan Anand will contest from Karnal, the seat also represented by former chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar.

While relying on its strategy of shuffling of the candidates to dodge the public ire, the BJP has also given ticket to at least nine candidates who had unsuccessfully contested 2019 assembly elections.

Majority of the former and sitting cabinet ministers will contest from their respective assembly segments even as the party has denied ticket to ministers, such as Sanjay Singh, Bishambar Singh Balmiki, Ranjit Singh Chautala (who was elected independent MLA and later joined BJP).

The BJP has shown the door to Pehowa MLA and former sports minister Sandeep Singh, who has been facing alleged sexual misconduct charges.

The party has retained speaker Gian Chand Gupta (Panchkula). Among the ministers of the second term who have been retained are Anil Vij (Ambala Cantt), Aseem Goel (Ambala City), Kanwar Pal Gurjar (Jagadhri), Subhash Sudha (Thanesar), Kamlesh Dhanda (Kalayat), Mahipal Dhanda (Panipat Rural), Abhe Singh Yadav (Nangal Chaudhary), Jai Prakash Dalal (Loharu), Kamal Gupta (Hisar) and Mool Chand Sharma (Ballabhgarh).

The deputy speaker of assembly Ranbir Gangwa was shifted to Barwala.

Another highlight of the BJP’s battle line up is the dynasty factor. Union minister Rao Inderjit Singh’s daughter Arti Singh Rao will contest from Ateli. She is among seven women the party has fielded, while Shruti Choudhry, daughter of Rajya Sabha member Kiran Choudhry, who recently switched from Congress, will contest from the family pocket borough Tosham.

The veteran politician and former Congress minister Vinod Sharma’s wife, Shakti Rani Sharma (Ambala mayor), has been fielded from Kalka, just days after she left the Haryana Janchetna Party to join the BJP.

The BJP has fielded two former Lok Sabha MPs Dr Arvind Sharma (Gohana) and Sunita Duggal (Ratia -SC), while sitting Rajya Sabha member Krishan Lal Panwar will contest from Israna (SC) seat. Panwar, a former minister, had unsuccessfully contested previous assembly election.

The BJP has fielded about nine candidates who had lost previous assembly elections. The defeated stalwarts too are back. The party has also fielded former ministers Om Prakash Dhankar (Badli), Captain Abhimanyu (Narnaund), Rao Narbir Singh (Badshahpur) and Vipul Goel (Faridabad) who had lost 2019 assembly elections.

The three Jannayak Janta Party MLAs — Ram Kumar Gautam, Devender Babli and Anoop Dhanak — who recently joined the BJP, were fielded from Safidon, Tohana and Uklana (SC), respectively.

Sunil Sangwan, a former jail superintendent, who joined the BJP ahead of the polls, has been fielded from Charkhi Dadri.

Unlike in previous elections, when the BJP announced its candidates in advance without waiting for the Opposition to pick their candidates, the BJP has surprised its opponents and supporters in equal measure by delaying the tickets, reflecting a strategic shift in its approach.

BJP sources say the delay was primarily due to the cautious approach of the party top brass which has been carefully analysing every seat, keeping in view the winning prospects of shortlisted candidates.

The BJP is facing a significant challenge from the Opposition, which is eager to capitalise on any perceived weaknesses.