Discontent grows in Haryana BJP as party drops ministers, sitting MLAs in 2nd list for assembly poll
The ministers denied tickets include school education minister Seema Trikha and health minister Banwari Lal.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has caused discontent within its ranks on Tuesday after releasing the second list of 21 candidates for the Haryana assembly election, dropping seven sitting legislators, including two ministers and state party president Mohan Lal Badoli.
The immediate fallout came with the resignation of state unit executive member Shiv Kumar Mehta, who sent his resignation to Mohan Lal Badoli. Mehta was a ticket aspirant from the Narnaul seat and displeased after the party fielded Om Prakash Yadav for the constituency, reported The Indian Express.
Satyavrat Shastri, Haryana BJP spokesperson has also quit the party's primary membership. He claims the party has strayed from its values and is being influenced by people with opposing beliefs.
"I have been working for the party for 45 years. They kept ignoring me and telling me each time to prepare for the next time. The same happened this time. Now I have quit the party and will focus on social service,” the report quoted Mehta as saying.
The ministers denied tickets include school education minister and Badkhal MLA Seema Trikha, replaced by Dhanesh Adlakha and health minister and Bawal MLA Banwari Lal, who has been replaced by Krishna Kumar.
Trikha was the sole female minister in the BJP cabinet under chief minister Nayab Singh Saini. She won the Badkhal seat by defeating Congress candidates Vijay Pratap Singh and Mahendra Pratap Singh in the 2019 and 2014 elections respectively.
Read: Haryana is richer than Punjab but most Haryanvis are poorer than Punjabis
State president Mohan Lal Badoli, who had previously announced he would not contest the October 5 assembly elections to focus on ensuring the party's victory, has been replaced by Krishna Gehlawat for the Rai seat in Sonipat district.
The BJP's announcement of its first list of 67 candidates last week also sparked widespread discontent within the party. Out of the 87 candidates announced so far, the BJP has selected 17 SCs, 16 Jats, 19 OBCs, five Rajputs, 11 Punjabis, 11 Brahmins, five Vaishyas, two Muslims and one Sikh, aiming for a balanced representation of various castes and communities.