Chandigarh, September 21
Opening a Pandora’s box for the BJP leadership, the final list of 47 candidates has left the “ignored” cadre fuming over the allocation of a big chunk of tickets to turncoats from the Congress and the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), triggering protests in the state.

While BJP loyalists, ignored in ticket distribution, have already started exploring various options available to them, resentment is out in the open at a number of seats, including Kaithal, where party candidate Rao Surender was inducted into the BJP only a few hours prior to the release of the list.

While Faridabad is likely to witness departure of two party loyalists over the next couple of days, reports of revolt have come from a few seats at Jind, Karnal, Rohtak, Kurkushetra and Fatehabad. Party leaders are holding clandestine meetings. Some of them have decided to approach the Central leadership over “unfair” distribution of tickets in which the party loyalists have been sidelined to accommodate newcomers.

Sources say this does not augur well for the party which, for the first time, seems to be in a position to make its presence felt in the state. With growing dissidence, the party may well end up frittering away its gains.

With no party loyalist making it to the list of candidates from five seats of Jind, a number of them have already left for Delhi to lodge their protest against the selection of “undeserving” candidates. They will take a call on the future course of action soon. Ruing the induction of former Congress leader Birender Singh, local leaders claimed that they had been cold-shouldered by their own party.

In Faridabad, district president Ajay Gaur and senior leader Parvesh Mehta are learnt to be in touch with the INLD. They may snap their association with the saffron party if resentment is not quelled to their satisfaction.

“Till the time the BJP was not in the reckoning, we were workers and leaders. When the party is expected to do well, outsiders have descended to take away what is rightfully ours. In this scenario, we are wondering if we will get something even in the future or this is the end of the road for us,” a party leader said.