Bishnoi seeks ticket for his aide from Nalwa, backs cousin in Fatehabad

Tribune News Service

Hisar, August 30

BJP leader Kuldeep Bishnoi seems to have asserted his influence in three Assembly constituencies in Hisar and Fatehabad district which could result in shifting of the sitting MLA and Deputy Speaker Ranbir Gangwa from Nalwa Assembly seat to Barwala Assembly constituency.

Assures victory to party leadership

• The saffron party trailed in these Assembly segments during the recently held Lok Sabha elections
• The BJP candidate trailed by 22,000 votes in Fatehabad segment, 12,000 votes in Adampur and about 2,000 votes in Nalwa segment
• Sources said Bishnoi has assured the BJP leadership about putting up winning performance on all three seats

The BJP sources indicated that former MP Bishnoi, son of former Chief Minister Bhajan Lal, has staked the claim for three tickets from the BJP, including Adampur, Nalwa in Hisar district and Fatehabad Assembly constituency. All three seats were won by the BJP in the 2019 Assembly elections.

While Bishnoi’s son Bhavya Bishnoi is a sitting MLA from their pocket borough Adampur, his cousin Dura Ram is the BJP MLA from Fatehabad segment. Nalwa seat is represented by Ranbir Gangwa, Deputy Speaker in Haryana Assembly. But Bishnoi has demanded the ticket for his aide Randhir Panihar from Nalwa segment.

Significantly, the BJP has trailed in all these Assembly segments during the Lok Sabha elections. The BJP candidate trailed by 22,000 votes in Fatehabad segment, 12,000 votes in Adampur and about 2,000 votes in Nalwa segment. It has become a challenge for the BJP to retain these three seats in view of the party's performance in the Lok Sabha polls. Sources said Bishnoi has assured the BJP leadership about putting up winning performance on all three seats.

The sources revealed that after Bishnoi’s instance, the BJP has offered Gangwa to shift to neighbouring Barwala Assembly constituency. “Gangwa has made his preparations to shift to the Barwala Assembly constituency after getting a clue that the party seemed to

be in the mood to accommodate Bishnoi aide Randhir Panihar from here,” said a party insider.

When contacted, Panihar, however, said he had been in poll mode and campaigning in the segment. He, however, added that he had not got any message from the BJP leadership about the ticket allocation.

Bishnoi also seemed to have edged out the chances of BJP leader from Sirsa Gobind Kanda for BJP’s nomination at Fatehabad seat. “Dura Ram has the backing of Kuldeep Bishnoi. Though Kanda recently made visits to Fatehabad town and also gave indications of contesting the election if the BJP gives him a chance, it is highly unlikely now since Bishnoi has put his weight behind Dura Ram,” said a BJP leader.

Kuldeep Bishnoi had won the 2019 Assembly election from Adampur on the Congress ticket and joined the BJP in 2022. The BJP fielded his son Bhavya Bishnoi from Adampur in the byelection after Kuldeep Bishnoi resigned as Congress MLA.

Notably, Kuldeep Bishnoi had fielded his mother Jasma Devi and brother Chander Mohan from Nalwa from his own Haryana Janhit Congress ticket in 2009 and 2014, respectively. But both of them lost the poll on both occasions. He also managed to get Congress nomination for his close aide Randhir Panihar in 2019 from Nalwa but he too lost. Now Pahihar had also joined the BJP along with Bishnoi and was a contender for the BJP ticket.

Bishnoi recently criticised the party decision to field Ranjit Singh as BJP candidate from Hisar in the recently held Lok Sabha elections. Ranjit Singh had lost the election. Bishnoi claimed that he would have won by the biggest margin in the state had the party given the ticket to him.