Haryana polls: Khattar, Phogat on BJP 1st list of 78
Vibha Sharma
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, September 30
A day after the BJP central election committee held final discussions on nominees for the forthcoming elections to the 90-member Haryana Assembly, the party today released the first list of its 78 candidates, including nine women and several turncoats.
The saffron party has also given ticket to wrestlers Babita Phogat, Yogeshwar Dutt and former India hockey team captain Sandeep Singh.
Repeating 38 and dropping eight sitting legislators, including ministers Vipul Goel and Rao Inderbir Singh and Deputy Speaker Santosh Yadav, the party has, in its bid to retain power in the state, fielded Zakir Hussain and Naseem Ahmed from Nuh and Ferozepur Jhirka. The two former INLD MLAs had crossed over to the BJP “impressed” by the style of functioning of the Manohar Lal Khattar government and its observance of the slogan “Sab ka saath, sab ka vikas”.
In the past, the party avoided fielding members of the minority community, even in regions dominated by them. Goel has been replaced by Narinder Gupta and Rao Narbir by Manish Yadav.
RSS strongman Sita Ram Yadav has replaced Santosh Yadav. The buzz, however, is that Narbir Singh “could still be fielded from one of the 12 remaining seats for which names have been withheld due to some serious issues”.
Union minister and Gurugram MP Rao Inderjit Singh has been pitching for his daughter from one of the Assembly seats falling in his Lok Sabha constituency.
Khattar, fielded from Karnal again, has been trying to buy peace with sulking leaders from south Haryana, including Faridabad MP Krishna Pal Gujjar, who was also believed to be seeking ticket for his kin.
As expected, the party has fielded sportspersons who joined it recently. Wrestler Babita Phogat, former Indian hockey captain Sandeep Singh and Olympic medallist Yogeshwar Dutt have been fielded from Dadri, Pehowa and Baroda, respectively.
Haryana unit president Subhash Barala will contest from Tohana, Capt Abhimanyu from Narnaud and Om Prakash Dhankar from Badli. The ministers who have been re-nominated include Ram Bilas Sharma, Anil Vij, Krishan Kumar Bedi, Karan Dev Kamboj and Kavita Jain.
With the Opposition weakened due to desertions and shrinking support base, as witnessed in the recent Lok Sabha poll, the BJP looks confident of returning to power with a bigger mandate. A section of leaders, however, agree the “trouble in southern Haryana is an issue”.
The party hopes to win “75-plus” seats riding on popularity of the Centre’s decision to nullify Article 370.
Turncoats
Several INLD turncoats, majority of them sitting MLAs, have been major gainers. Among them are Ranbir Gangwa who will contest from Nalwa, Zakir Hussain from Nuh, Naseem Ahmed from Ferozepur Jhirkha, Nagender Bhadana from Faridabad NIT, Ram Chand Kamboj from Rania. Lone Shiromani Akali Dal MLA Balkaur Singh, whose entry into BJP fold recently had angered SAD, was rewarded with ticket from his Kalanwali reserved seat in Sirsa. INLD leader from Rohtak district, Satish Nandal, who also joined the BJP recently, has been fielded from Garhi Sampla Kiloi, from where former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda is the sitting legislator. Ram Kumar Kashyap, former INLD leader who switched over to BJP, will contest from Indri and Parminder Dhull from Julana.
Dropped
Cabinet Minister Vipul Goel (Faridabad); Deputy Speaker Santosh Yadav (Ateli); Cabinet Minister Rao Narbir Singh (Badshahpur); Santosh Saarwan (Mulana); Kulwant Bajigar (Guhla); Vimla Chowdhary (Pataudi); Shyam Singh Rana (Radaur); Tejpal Tanwar (Sohna).
Full list:
Karnal: Manohar Lal Khattar
Tohana: Subhash Barala
Kalka: Latika Sharma
Panchkula: Gyan Chand Gupta
Ambala Cantt: Anil Vij
Ambala City: Ashim Goyal
Mulana (SC): Rajveer Barada
Sadhaura (SC): Balwant Singh
Jagadhri: Kanwarpal Gurjar
Yamunanagar: Ghanshyam Das Arora
Radaur: Karndev Kamboj
Ladwa: Pawan Saini
Shahbad (SC): Krishan Bedi
Thanesar: Subhash Sudha
Pehowa: Sandeep Singh
Guhla (SC): Ravi Taranvali
Kalayat: Kamlesh Dhanda
Kaithal: Lila Ram Gurjar
Pundri: Vedpal Advocate
Nilokheri (SC): Bhagwan Das Kabirpanthi
Indri: Ramkumar Kashyap
Gharaunda: Harvinder Kalyan
Assandh: Bakshi Singh Virk
Panipat Rural: Shri Mahipal Dhandha
Israna (SC): Shri Krishan Panwar
Samalkha: Shashikant Kaushik
Rai: Mohan Lal Kaushik Badoli
Sonepat: Kavita Jain
Gohana: Tirath Singh Rana
Baroda: Yogeshwar Dutt
Julana: Parmender Dhul
Safidon: Bachchan Singh Arya
Jind: Dr Krishan Midda
Uchana Kalan: Prem Lata
Narwana (SC): Santosh Danoda
Ratia (SC): Laxman Napa
Kalawali (SC): Balkaur Singh
Dabwali: Aditya Devilal
Rania: Ramchandra Kamboj
Sirsa: Pradeep Ratusariya
Ellenabad: Pawan Beniwal
Uklana (SC): Asha Khedar
Narnaund: Capt Abhimanyu
Hansi: Vinod Bhyana
Barwala: Surender Puniya
Hisar: Dr Kamal Gupta
Nalwa: Ranveer Gangva
Loharu: J.P. Dalal
Badhra: Sukhvinder Mandi
Dadri: Babita Phogat
Bhiwani: Ghanshyam Sharaf
Bawani Khera (SC): Bishambhar Balmiki
Garhi Sampla-Kiloi: Satish Nandal
Rohtak: Manish Grover
Kalanaur (SC): Ramavtar Balmiki
Bahadurgarh: Naresh Kaushik
Badli: Om Parkash Dhankhar
Jhajjar (SC): Rakesh Kumar
Beri: Vikram Kadyan
Ateli: Sita Ram Yadav
Mahendragarh: Rambilash Sharma
Narnaul: Omprakash Yadav
Nangal: Abhay Singh Yadav
Bawal (SC): Banwari Lal
Pataudi (SC): Satya Prakash Jaravata
Badshahpur: Manish Yadav
Sohna: Shri Sanjay Singh
Nuh: Zakir Hussain
Ferozepur Jhirka: Naseem Ahmed
Punahana: Nouksham Choudhary
Hathin: Praveen Dagar
Hodal (SC): Jagdish Nayar
Prithla: Sohanpal Chhaukkar
Faridabad NIT: Nagendra Bhadana
Badkhal: Seema Tirkha
Ballabhgarh: Moolchand Sharma
Faridabad: Narender Gupta
Tigaon: Rajesh Nagar
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