Khattar, Dhankar to decide BJP candidate for Ellenabad

The election committee of BJP on Sunday authorised chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar and state party chief OP Dhankar to finalise the candidate for the October 30 Ellenabad bypoll even as the high-powered 11-member panel discussed 17 probable candidates.

The election committee of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s on Sunday authorised chief minister (CM) Manohar Lal Khattar and state party chief OP Dhankar to finalise the candidate for the October 30 Ellenabad bypoll even as the high-powered 11-member panel discussed 17 probable candidates.

Khattar and Dhankar will decide on the BJP candidate for Ellenabad bypoll scheduled for October 30. (HT File)

In a related development coinciding with the state BJP’s poll panel zeroing on the party nominee in Chandigarh, Govind Kanda, who is elder brother of Gopal Kanda, the lone MLA of the Haryana Lokhit Party, joined the BJP in Sirsa.

Sirsa MLA Gopal Kanda has been supporting the BJP in the Vidhan Sabha.

Asked if Govind Kanda is in the ticket race for the bypoll, Dhankar remained evasive. He said the BJP will field the candidate who will be a joint nominee of the BJP-JJP coalition for the Ellenabad bypoll.

Dhankar said he will meet the leaders of the coalition partner soon to discuss bypoll-related issues.

Among the prominent BJP leaders present in the meeting on Sunday were Khattar, Dhankar, former cabinet minister Ram Bilas Sharma, education minister Kanwar Pal, Sirsa Lok Sabha MP Sunita Duggal and Sirsa district BJP chief Aditya Chautala.

Responding to a question, Dhankar reiterated that Ellenabad bypoll is an opportunity for the BJP to wrest this seat and challenge Indian National Lok Dal’s Abhay Chautala who had previously won the seat by a margin of about 12,000 votes.