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Badshahpur set for two-way fight; others hope for shock
Rakesh Daultabad’s sudden death earlier this year following a cardiac arrest has left the election wide open with both the Congress and BJP wanting to make an electoral comeback in this prestigious seat, though Daultabad’s wife Kumudini Rakesh Daultabad has also thrown her hat into the ring to “protect” her “husband’s legacy”
Gurugram: The Badshahpur assembly constituency — the seat with the highest number of voters in Haryana — is set for a tough contest between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress in the upcoming state polls on October 1.
Ticket aspirants from the two parties have already started canvassing for votes — both the BJP and the Congress have loyal vote bases, and aspiring candidates are fighting for that edge that will take their party over the line.
In 2019, the result in Badshahpur was a shock for the two established parties and political observers alike — voters picked independent candidate Rakesh Daultabad as their legislator. However, his sudden death earlier this year due following a cardiac arrest has left the election wide open with both the Congress and BJP wanting to make an electoral comeback in this prestigious seat, though Daultabad’s wife Kumudini Rakesh Daultabad has also thrown her hat in the ring to “protect” her “husband’s legacy”.
A contest before the contest
The BJP state election committee, headed by Haryana BJP president Mohan Lal Badoli and comprising 20 other members, is set to meet in Gurugram on Thursday and Friday to brainstorm over the names of potential candidates from Badshahpur and 89 other assembly seats.
“Around 18 aspirants have sought the BJP mandate from Gurugram, and it will now be the state election committee which will select the three best candidates and send it to the central parliamentary board for a final selection. The focus will be to select a winning candidate with a clean image, and dedication to the party,” said Kamal Yadav, district BJP president who is one of the aspirants.
According to senior party leaders, other contenders for the BJP ticket in Badshahpur are former state minister Rao Narbir Singh, who was denied ticket in 2019; state party spokesperson Jawahar Yadav, who is banking on his stint in the government for a ticket; and Manish Yadav, who was the party’s candidate in 2019 and is a youth leader.
Arun Yadav, state social media head of BJP, Haryana said the party will perform strongly in Badshahpur and across Haryana due to the work carried out by the government. “Gurugram, with its sprawling urban and rural expanse, embodies the rapid growth and dynamism of the region. However, this growth also presents a complex set of demands from its diverse population—demands that can only be effectively addressed by a leader with deep roots in the community and a proven track record of public service. In our ticket distribution strategy, the BJP must prioritise a candidate who not only has the on-ground resources and organizational strength but also a profound understanding of the local pulse,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Congress held its first screening committee on Wednesday in Delhi.
Senior party leader Sukhbir Kataria said they have received around 18 applications for the Badshahpur constituency, and claimed that people are eager to get the party mandate as there is a strong anti-incumbency against the BJP government.
“The screening committee will decide on party candidates based on winnability, organisational ability, image and connect with the people,” he said.
Some of the strong contenders in the Congress camp include Vardhan Yadav, who is the Youth Congress national secretary; Virender Singh, son of the late Congress MLA from Badshahpur, Rao Dharampal, who was considered close to former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda; and Rajesh Yadav, the national spokesperson of the party’s OBC department.
What prospective candidates say
Rao Narbir Singh, who is known for speaking his mind, told HT that he will contest the election from Badshahpur — irrespective of whether he gets the BJP’s mandate or not.
“I have decided to fight the election from Badshahpur and expect that the BJP will give me the party ticket this time. I have worked hard for the party organisation and served wherever I was asked. During my stint as a minister I worked to ensure that Gurugram gets better roads, highways, and basic amenities. However, a lot of work needs to be done as the population has grown exponentially. Gurugram needs more government hospitals, schools, transport and similar amenities,” he said.
While Rao Narbir is counting on traditional BJP supporters, Jawahar Yadav is banking on his stints within the BJP government and as a key party functionary to get the party stamp. “I have worked as a link between the government and people in the last 10 years and wherever there was a conflict, I have ensured that it got resolved. In Badshahpur, I have organised 550 camps to get 42,000 property IDs, Aadhaar cards, and BPL cards. A lot of work was done in urban villages through my office and I also worked to ensure the disputes between builders and RWAs get resolved,” he said.
The Congress’s Vardhan Yadav is banking on his role as a youth leader.
“I have been in active politics since my college days and was the NSUI state president, Delhi. I actively participated in two major Bharat Jodo Yatras led by Rahul Gandhi. I was the in-charge of Youth Congress in Telangana and we did a lot of work there, due to which the party formed the government,” he said.
Virender Singh pointed to the work he carried out for the party, and the goodwill earned by his late father as a legislator. “I have been in the party through thick and thin and remained loyal to it. I got 19,700 people enrolled as Congress party members in 2022 during a membership drive, which is the highest in south Haryana,” he said.
Meanwhile, Kumudini Rakesh Daultabad, whose legislator husband Rakesh Daultabad died in harness, has launched her own campaign.
“My husband worked on social and political issues for 26 years, and during his stint as an MLA, he helped resolve several issues. He raised the problem of waterlogging over 5,000 acres of land, raised the issue for Metro extension in the assembly and got the new Metro route finalised. I am fighting to save his legacy,” she said.
