BJP to go it alone in Haryana, CM Nayab Singh Saini to lead Assembly election campaign

Ravneet Singh

Panchkula, June 29

Home Minister Amit Shah, addressing party workers, today said that they should shun differences and fight together to ensure the party’s victory. He said Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini would lead the BJP during the upcoming Assembly elections.

The party’s announcement has come three months before the new government will be formed in the state. Beginning its election activities, the party made it clear that it would contest all 90 seats on its own.

Old, new leaders equal: Pradhan

Questioned about disgruntled leaders, including Union Cabinet minister MP Rao Inderjit Singh, Union Education Minister and party incharge for state Assembly poll Dharmendra Pradhan said the party was in touch with them. He said all newly inducted and old party leaders were equal. “All those who pledge allegiance to the party are considered equal. There is no difference between old and new leaders.”

The BJP had organised a gathering of over 4,500 workers, including executive body members, state, district and mandal-level office-bearers, ministers, serving and former MLAs and MPs and party candidates of 2014 and 2019, at Tau Devi Lal Stadium here.

Shah said Saini would lead the party during the poll, along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and would become the Chief Minister once the new state government was formed.

Union Education Minister and party incharge for state Assembly poll Dharmendra Pradhan held a press conference and said the party would not form any pre-poll alliance.

He said, “We are confident the BJP will form the state government for the third consecutive time. People should evaluate 10 years of governance of both the Congress and the BJP and decide. Our focus is toward development of the state while our rivals want to work as mere roadblocks.”

Questioned about disgruntled leaders, including Union Cabinet minister MP Rao Inderjit Singh, he said the party was in touch with them. “Rao Inderjit is a senior leader. I met him just recently. We are working on resolving their concerns,” he stated.

He said all newly inducted and old party leaders were equal. “All those who pledge allegiance to the party are considered equal. There is no difference between old and new leaders.”

Pradhan said the upcoming elections were a definite challenge for the party. “We consider all elections from panchayat to Parliament as a challenge. We will contest all 90 seats. Therefore, we are gathering all our workers and forming strategy.”

Party leaders said they had been given a roadmap for the next three months. Assembly Speaker Gian Chand Gupta said, “All party leaders will hold large-scale meetings right from the booth level to state level and the office-bearers will prepare for the elections.”

Kurukshetra MP Naveen Jindal, all praise for OBC leader and CM Saini, said, “He has elevated himself from the worker level. We are positive he will lead the party to victory.” Former state Home Minister Anil Vij, meanwhile, praised Shah, saying that he was Chanakya of modern India. “He understands the minute intricacies of politics. He energised the workers and explained in detail how the Congress misled people in the parliamentary elections. Shah said every worker had to work hard to ensure victory for the BJP for the third time,” he added.