BJP's Panwar resigns from Rajya Sabha, front runner for ministerial berth in Haryana

Krishan Lal Panwar, BJP’s newly elected MLA from Israna (Panipat), resigned from Rajya Sabha on Monday.

Panwar, a former minister and six-time MLA and prominent Dalit face of the saffron party, was specially picked up by the BJP to contest October 5 election polls  from Insrana(Reserved) assembly segment.

Panwar submitted his resignation to Jagdeep Dhankar, Vice-President and Rajya Sabha Chairman, in New Delhi on Monday.

Panwar is a front-runner for a ministerial berth in the new Council of Ministers to be sworn-in at Panchkula on October 17. Panwar was a minister in the first BJP Government headed by Manohar Lal Khattar during 2014-19. He was later sent to Rajya Sabha by the BJP in 2022 by the party in a bid to woo the crucial Dalit vote bank.

With the resignation of Panwar from Rajya Sabha, lobbying has picked up among senior BJP leaders for nomination to the Upper House from Haryana.

Currently,  out of five Rajya Sabha MPs, the BJP has three members—Subhash Barala, Ram Chander Jangra and Kiran Chaudhry. An Independent MP Kartikeya was also elected with the support of the BJP.