In the lead-up to the Haryana Assembly elections, BJP Ratia MLA Lakshman Napa has resigned from the party just a day after the BJP released its candidate list. Napa’s resignation comes on September 5, 2024, following the announcement of the party’s candidates.
In another development, Darshan Giri Maharaj, a leader from Haryana’s Hisar, also resigned from the BJP on the same day. Additionally, Karan Dev Kamboj, the state president of the BJP OBC Morcha and a former minister, stepped down from all BJP posts after being denied a ticket for the Indri assembly seat. Kamboj stated that his future decisions will depend on his supporters’ input.
BJP’s Candidate List for Haryana Assembly:
On September 4, 2024, the BJP released its first list of 67 candidates for the 90-member Haryana Assembly. The list features several new entrants and prominent political figures, as well as a notable focus on women candidates.
– Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini has been moved from Karnal to contest from the Ladwa seat.
– Om Prakash Dhankar, former Haryana BJP chief and national secretary, will run from Badli.
– Anil Vij, a veteran BJP leader, seeks re-election from Ambala Cantt.
– Devender Singh Babli, who recently joined the BJP from Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), will contest from Tohana.
– Sanjay Kablana and Shruti Choudhry, also recent BJP entrants, will run from Beri and Tosham, respectively. Shruti is the granddaughter of former Haryana Chief Minister Bansi Lal and the daughter of BJP leader Kiran Choudhry.
– Aarti Singh Rao, daughter of Union Minister Rao Inderjit Singh, will contest from Ateli.
The BJP has re-nominated more than half of its current 41 MLAs. Bhavya Bishnoi, grandson of former Chief Minister Bhajan Lal, is re-nominated from Adampur, while Jagmohan Anand, a senior leader close to former Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, will run from Karnal. Capt Abhimanyu will contest from Narnaund.
Notably, OP Dhankar and Capt Abhimanyu were ministers during the BJP’s first term in Haryana from 2014 to 2019 but lost their seats in the 2019 elections. Rajya Sabha MP Krishan Lal Panwar is fielded from the Israna (SC) seat.