Getting ticket may not be easy for 4 BJP MLAs

Ravinder Saini
Tribune News Service
Rewari, September 16

Four sitting BJP MLAs in Rewari and Mahendragarh districts may face stiff opposition from tallest Ahir leader and Union minister Rao Inderjit in getting the party ticket for the forthcoming Assembly elections.

The BJP has an edge over opposition parties but the rival Rao faction is also making all-out efforts for the ticket.

Rewari, Kosli, Ateli and Nangal Choudhary are the segments where the BJP legislators are facing the brunt of factionalism in the party. The BJP had won all seven seats in Rewari and Mahendragarh districts in the 2014 elections.

Randhir Kapriwas is the MLA from Rewari from where Union minister Rao Inderjit is making all-out efforts for the ticket for his daughter Aarti Rao this time. Kapriwas had once accused the Chief Minister of discriminating against Rewari in terms of development, hence the Rao camp is quite confident that the party would not field him again.

Differences between Rao Inderjit and Kosli MLA Vikram Yadav went public when the Union minister snubbed the latter for praising Khattar during the Dahina rally last month. Vikram was given the BJP ticket at the behest of Rao in 2014.

Vikram’s competitors claim that Khattar will also not help him when Rao opposes his candidature. Vikram was one of four MLAs who had opened a front against Khattar at a press conference in Gurugram in December last year.

Vidhan Sabha Deputy Speaker and Ateli MLA Santosh Yadav is also facing a challenge from Rao, who is lobbying for his supporters. Villagers, who are considered to be Rao’s supporters, had organised two public meetings to oppose Santosh’s candidature.

Similarly, Nangal Choudhary MLA Abhay Singh Yadav is being ignored by Rao’s supporters, who did not invite him to two rallies held in the constituency where Rao was the chief guest.