BJP veteran Ram Bilas breaks down, not to contest

BJP veteran and former state party chief Ram Bilas Sharma (74) today broke down while addressing a supporters’ meeting at his residence here after being denied the ticket.

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Started electoral journey in 1977

• Sharma started his electoral journey from Mahendragarh in 1977 Assembly polls as a Janta Party candidate. He lost the election in a close contest. Thereafter, he romped home victorious in the next four elections in a row in 1982, 1987, 1991 and 1996 as the BJP candidate

His supporters raised slogans against Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, but Sharma made it clear that he has worked for the BJP for more than five decades and hence he would not go against it. He also appealed to his supporters to respect the party’s decision.

In a surprising move, the BJP has dropped Sharma and made its former district president Kanwar Singh Yadav its nominee from Mahendragarh Assembly constituency, dominated by Ahir community. After 47 years, it would be the first Assembly poll in Mahendragarh when Sharma would not be in the fray.

However, he had, without waiting for the announcement of the ticket, filed his nomination as the BJP candidate from Mahendragarh on Wednesday but it would now be cancelled during scrutiny. The fear of losing the party ticket was looming large on Sharma, a two-time BJP state president and three-time minister since the party declared two lists of its nominees without naming him.

As per sources, Kanwar Singh Yadav, considered to be close to former Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, has been fielded from Mahendragarh with an intention to thwart polarisation of Ahir votes in favour of the Congress which has reposed its faith again on its senior Ahir leader Rao Dan Singh, a five-time MLA and former Chief Parliamentary Secretary. Rao also unsuccessfully contested the recent Lok Sabha poll from Bhiwani-Mahendragarh as a Congress nominee.

Interestingly, Rao and Sharma had been contesting Assembly elections against each other for the past 28 years. They had together tried their fortune in the electoral battle for six times till 2019 and Rao emerged victorious four times while Sharma managed to win twice.

Both leaders first time took on each other in the Assembly poll in 1996 when Sharma romped home victorious by defeating Independent candidate Rao by a thin margin of 3,708 votes. It was Sharma’s fourth victory in a row in the Assembly polls.

But, Sharma lost all three subsequent Assembly elections to Rao in a row in the years 2000, 2005 and 2009. He won again in 2014 but Rao wrested the seat from him in 2019.

Sharma started his electoral journey from Mahendragarh in 1977 Assembly polls as a Janta Party candidate. He lost the polls in a close contest. Thereafter, he romped home victorious in the next four elections in a row held in 1982, 1987, 1991 and 1996 as the BJP candidate.