Chandigarh (TIP)- At least 12 senior BJP leaders, including a cabinet minister, one MLA, and six ex-MLAs, resigned from the party on Thursday upset over its first list of 67 candidates for the Haryana polls even as other leaders indicated that they were considering all options ahead of the nomination deadline.
The list of people who resigned included sitting minister Ranjit Singh Chautala, other backward classes unit chief Karan Dev Kamboj, Ratia lawmaker Laxman Dass Napa, and farmer unit chief Sukhvinder Sheoran. Kamboj is a former OBC morcha chief and Sheoran is a former Kisan Morcha chief.
Talking to media, Kamboj said that the BJP has fielded “traitors”. “The BJP has ignored my dedication and spirit towards the party. The turnocats were given tickets and no merit was followed in ticket distribution,” he said.
Former Badhra MLA Sukhvinder Sheoran said that party has “compromised with its ideology and given tickets to turncoats”. “BJP workers’ morale has gone down.” The leaders sent their resignations to state party chief Mohan Lal Badoli and announced their decision to contest independently.
The BJP leadership in Delhi tried to downplay the resignations. “The list was drawn after extensive survey on the ground and the cadres’ views were sought. Winnability was the main criterion, and the party ensured representation to every caste and community. The party itself has grown manifold and there the number of aspirants is large, so it is inevitable that there will be some rebellion,” said a senior leader, requesting anonymity. The leader underscored that the senior leadership in the state as well as the centre were in “touch” with the rebels and remained hopeful of resolving their concerns. “Some leaders who cannot be fielded as contestants will be accommodated in the party, there are various other avenues,” the leader added.
The BJP faces anti-incumbency after being in power for 10 years and issues related to caste, reservation and complaints of governance deficit have emerged as challenges for the party. Fielding fresh candidates, the leader quoted above, was aimed at blunting anti-incumbency.
In its first list, the party changed 40 candidates, of which 27 are fresh faces and 21 under 50. There are eight women candidates, and 14 tickets have been given to candidates from backward sections. “There is representation to various castes, including Gurjar, Yadav, Kashyap, Kumhar, Kamboj, Rajput and Saini and the party has ensured Dalits get proper representation in this list,” said a second party functionary, requesting anonymity.
In the first list, 40 are from the general category, 14 from the OBC groups, and 13 from scheduled castes.
On Thursday, Sept 5, Haryana power minister Chautala convened a meeting of his supporters at Rania before announcing his decision to resign as minister as well as from the primary membership of the BJP. The BJP has nominated Shishpal Kamboj to contest from the seat.
Chautala said that he is the son of former deputy prime minister Devi Lal and could not compromise in any situation. “I will contest as an independent from Rania. The BJP offered me a ticket from Dabwali but I turned down the proposal. I am resigning from the cabinet and the primary membership of the party,” he said.
In the 2019 assembly elections, Chautala contested as an Independent candidate after the Congress denied him the ticket. He defeated Haryana Lokhit Party candidate Gobind Kanda. Later, he became a cabinet minister in the BJP government.
Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, he joined the BJP and contested from Hisar but lost to Congress’s Jai Parkash. Despite not being part of the Haryana assembly since the Lok Sabha elections, Chautala remained a minister.
In Ratia, Laxman Dass Napa joined the Congress on Thursday, hours after the BJP replaced him with former Sirsa MP Sunita Duggal and in Badhra, the party pitched activist Umed Pathuwas in place of Sheoran. Sheoran has called a meeting of his supporters to decide on the future. Source: HT