New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Haryana Unit is facing a wave of dissent by announcing its first list of 67 candidates as it gears up for the upcoming assembly elections. Multiple prominent figures are rebelling against the party’s candidate list in the northern state where the saffron party is in power. The BJP’s symbol, the “lotus,” is causing division, forcing several key members to seek greener pastures.
Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini has attempted to dismiss the growing unrest, asserting that the list is final and that disgruntled members will be persuaded without making any changes to the list of fielded candidates. The assembly election in the state is scheduled on October 5 and the counting will be done on 8th October. However, this has failed to quell the turmoil.
“It is natural for ticket-seekers to get angry. But they will be persuaded,” Saini said after the revolt started, adding that none of the leaders had left the party.
Senior party leader Ranjit Singh Chautala, son of former Deputy Prime Minister Devi Lal, has announced he will contest as an independent after being denied a ticket. His move has been followed by former minister Karan Dev Kamboj, who resigned as the state BJP’s OBC Morcha chief.
Chautala stated that his decision to leave the party and enter the fray as an independent candidate was taken after meeting his supporters.
Lakshman Dass Napa, another senior party leader, who was denied the ticket expressed his dissent and resigned from the party ahead of the polls. Soon after resigning from the BJP, Napa met former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and joined the Congress.
In Gurugram, party leader Naveen Goyal has also rebelled, resigning from the BJP after Mukesh Sharma was announced as the party candidate. Goyal announced that he will contest as an independent candidate in the upcoming. This has triggered a mass exodus of over 150 party officials and workers, further weakening the BJP’s position.
Adding to the turmoil, Savitri Jindal, who recently joined the BJP, has declared she will fight from Hisar, even as an independent.
As the BJP is aiming for a third consecutive victory in Haryana, the internal conflict and the growing anti-incumbency factor are casting a shadow on their prospects. The Congress, capitalising on the BJP’s internal strife, is gearing up to make a strong comeback.
