In the first list released of 67 candidates for the Haryana Assembly elections, the BJP has denied tickets to nine of its sitting MLAs and two Ministers, while fielding Jail officer Sunil Sangwan, who granted Dera Sacha Sauda chief and rape convict Ram Rahim parole six times.
Jail officer Sangwan has been fielded from Charkhi Dadri seat the former BJP leader Somveer Sangwan won as an independent in 2019. Somveer may join Congress if the party gives him a ticket for the seat.
After being displeased with the BJP’s decision to select wrestler Babita Phogat over him for the seat, former BJP leader Somveer ran as an Independent candidate in 2019.
Releasing its first list on Wednesday, the BJP declared names for 67 out of the state’s 90 constituencies. The list included the names of Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, who will be contesting from the Ladwa constituency, and former Minister Anil Vij from the Ambala Cantonment constituency.
In an attempt to address concerns about anti-incumbency after a decade in power, the saffron party has made significant changes for the upcoming elections. This includes dropping nine sitting MLAs, including Sudhir Singhla from Gurugram.
The party did not name two Cabinet Ministers, Ranjit Chautala and Sitaram Yadav. Additionally, it gave tickets to eight sitting ministers, while the list named 25 new faces. There are also 8 female candidates on the list.
Among the dropped MLAs are Deepak Mangla from Palwal and Narendra Gupta from Faridabad. Two MLAs, Laxman Napa, and Haryana BJP Kisan Morcha State President Sukhwinder Mandi, have resigned from their posts in anger over the situation. Napa has been replaced by former MP Sunita Duggal for the state polls.
Shruti Choudhry, who left the Congress and joined the BJP along with her mother Rajya Sabha MP Kiran Choudhry in June, has been nominated as a candidate from Tosham.
Additionally, three former legislators from the Jannayak Janata Party, which was previously allied with the BJP, have also been selected. These candidates are Devender Singh Babli from Tohana, Ram Kumar Gautam from Safidon, and Anoop Dhanak from Uklana.
Other notable candidates include Deepak Hooda, the former captain of the Indian Kabaddi team, who will be contesting from Meham, and Union Minister Om Prakash Dhankar, who will be running from Badli.
The list of candidates includes eight women, 13 leaders from the Scheduled Castes, and nine from other backward communities (OBCs).