Trouble over ticket: Sparks of revolt within saffron party

The shifting of candidature of sitting Kosli MLA Laxman Singh Yadav to Rewari Assembly constituency has triggered revolt from local BJP leaders who were vying for the party ticket from Rewari.

Satish Khola, former BJP district president and former state coordinator of the Parivar Pehchan Patra (PPP) programme of the state government, and youth leader Prashant Sunny Yadav opposed the candidature of Laxman Yadav and announced to contest Assembly polls from Rewari.

“Placing Laxman in Rewari instead of Kosli is injustice not only to me but also to people of Rewari Assembly constituency. I have been working to strengthen the party cadre at grassroots level and to promote the government’s policies in remote areas for the past decade. Despite this, the party did not make me its nominee,” said Khola, while interacting with media-persons here today.

Khola claimed that the party had conducted a survey to find out the most suitable and winnable candidate from Rewari. In the survey, he was in the top position but his candidature was ignored and the party imported a sitting MLA from Kosli to Rewari, he said.

“I have got a message from public to fight against this injustice so I have decided to contest the poll as an Independent candidate and will also contact other disgruntled BJP leaders to seek their support,” he said.

Meanwhile, Prashant Yadav (36) said he had resigned from the BJP to protest the party’s decision of not fielding him from Rewari.

“I will jump into the fray for sure and have called a panchayat at my native village on Sunday in this respect. I may also contest from ticket of other parties, except the Congress,” he said, adding that the party had promised to field a young man but had not fulfilled it.

Prashant had contested the 2019 Assembly elections as an Independent candidate and secured 22,104 votes.

Vandana Popli, district president, BJP, said Prashant Sunny Yadav had joined the BJP just before the Lok Sabha elections and Khola had been associated with the party for a long time.

“We will talk to both leaders and are quite hopeful that they will be pacified. We are all disciplined sepoys of the BJP and will work together to ensure that lotus blooms in Rewari,” she claimed.

Meanwhile, Sunil Rao, member of the BJP’s Haryana State Election Management Committee, has resigned from primary membership of the party and all other organisational responsibilities with immediate effect. Sunil, a resident of Kosli town here, has submitted his resignation to BJP state chief Mohan Lal Badoli but he did not cite any reason.

Question why Kosli MLA given Rewari ticket

• The BJP is fileding sitting Kosli MLA Laxman Singh Yadav from Rewari Assembly constituency.
• This has triggered revolt from local leaders — including Satish Khola, former BJP district president, and youth leader Prashant Sunny Yadav, among others, who were vying for the party ticket from Rewari.