BJP faces major rebellion in Haryana as minister, MLA, OBC Morcha chief resign
A day after the BJP released its first list of 67 candidates for the October 5 Haryana Assembly elections, the party today faced a statewide rebellion with several prominent leaders parting ways with the saffron unit.
While Power and Jails Minister Ranjit Singh, Ratia MLA Laxman Napa and former minister Karan Dev Kamboj resigned from the BJP, other ticket aspirants held meetings with their supporters to chalk out their future plan.
Napa, who was seeking re-nomination from Ratia but was replaced by former MP Sunita Duggal, joined the Congress in the evening. Ranjit, son of former Deputy Prime Minister late Devi Lal, announced he would contest only from Rania, either as an Independent or from some other party. Having represented the seat as an Independent in 2019, he recently joined the BJP and unsuccessfully contested the Lok Sabha election from Hisar. “I was being given the Dabwali seat, which I declined,” he said. Kamboj, OBC Morcha chief who was eyeing the ticket from Indri or Radaur, alleged that the BJP had strayed from its ideology. “The path shown by BJP founders Deen Dayal Upadhyaya and Syama Prasad Mookerjee has been forgotten. The BJP is rewarding traitors who have been switching loyalties for selfish gains. This is coming at the cost of party loyalists,” said Kamboj.
In Hisar, former Haryana minister Savitri Jindal, matriarch of the Jindal empire and the mother of BJP’s Kurukshetra MP Naveen Jindal, declared herself as a candidate from Hisar following denial of ticket by the BJP. Besides Savitri Jindal, Hisar Mayor Gautam Sardana too is learnt to be miffed over the re-nomination of Minister Kamal Gupta from the constituency.
The ticket to turncoat Nikhil Madan from Sonepat has been opposed by former minister Kavita Jain and her husband Rajiv Jain. The couple has served a two-day ultimatum on the high command to reconsider its decision.
In fact, what has irked the BJP ticket aspirants is the nomination of at least 10 turncoats, including three former JJP MLAs, son of a former minister and former minister Venod Sharma’s wife Shakti Rani Sharma. All of them had joined the BJP only recently.
Senior leader Shamsher Kharkara, a strong contender from Meham in Rohtak district, quit the BJP after the party opted for kabaddi player Deepak Hooda. Prominent Dalit leaders Shamsher Gill and Seema Gabipur resigned as the party fielded JJP ex-MLA Anoop Dhanak from Uklana.
Former minister Bachan Singh Arya is also miffed at JJP ex-MLA from Narnaund Ram Kumar Gautam getting the ticket from Safidon. Arya is looking to fight as an Independent. Senior leader Jai Bhagwan Sharma is flexing his muscles in Thanesar from where the BJP has again reposed faith in state minister Subhadh Sudha. The nomination of Tek Chand Sharma from Prithla has not gone down well with sitting Independent MLA Nayan Pal Rawat, who had supported the BJP government for five years.
Asked about the rebellion, BJP’s Haryana Assembly poll co-incharge Biplab Deb claimed the candidate list reflected the changing socio-political scenario in the state and represented all sections.
