BJP Finalises 50 Seats in Haryana
LS losers likely to be fielded
By : yojna gusai
Update: 2024-08-29 19:00 GMT
NEW DELHI: The BJP's Central Election Committee (CEC) convened on Thursday to finalise candidates for the Haryana Assembly elections, focusing on combating anti-incumbency and a resurgent Congress. The meeting, held at the party headquarters, was chaired by BJP president J.P. Nadda and attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior CEC members.
Sources indicate that the CEC has finalised over 50 candidates. Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini is reportedly a potential contender for the Ladwa seat. There is also speculation that some BJP leaders who lost in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections might be fielded in the Assembly polls.
The BJP state leadership, grappling with internal rifts and competing ticket seekers, has been actively meeting in recent days. There are rumours that the party plans to introduce several new faces to address anti-incumbency concerns and avoid a repeat of the 2019 elections, where the BJP fell short of a majority. The party is considering replacing over two dozen sitting MLAs and is also negotiating with its ally, Gopal Kanda's Haryana Lokhit Party (HLP), which seeks five to six seats in the Sirsa area.
Ahead of the CEC meeting, BJP's core group, along with Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan and co-incharge Satish Poonia, met with Nadda. Union home minister Amit Shah, former CM and Union minister Manohar Lal Khattar, and Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini were also present. Pradhan held a prior meeting with the core group leaders earlier in the day.
In the political landscape, the Congress faces internal factionalism, while BJP's former ally Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) has allied with the Azad Samaj Party. The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) has partnered with the BSP, and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) plans to contest all 90 Assembly seats. The BJP is targeting to consolidate non-Jat votes while hoping to retain Jat support, having introduced prominent Jat figures like former Congress leader Kiran Chaudhary.
Potential BJP candidates include industrialist Naveen Jindal's mother Savitri Jindal, Minister Dr. Kamal Gupta from Hisar, senior leader Anil Vij from Ambala Cantt, and speculation surrounds former MP Sunita Duggal, Kuldeep Bishnoi's son Bhavya Bishnoi, and former CM Devilal's grandson Aditya Devilal. Union minister Rao Inderjeet Singh's daughter Arti is also rumoured to be a candidate for the Ateli seat.