Dissidents may play spoilsport for saffron party in Karnal district

As the ruling BJP aims to retain power, discontentment seems to be rising by the day in the ruling BJP with several leaders having expressed displeasure over the selection of candidates for the upcoming Assembly elections. Several BJP leaders have openly voiced their unhappiness over not being nominated for the seats they eyed and it may spoil the prospects of the BJP.

Karnal has five Assembly seats, of which three segments — Karnal, Gharaunda and Indri — are represented by the BJP, while Assandh is represented by the Congress and Nilokheri by an Independent candidate.

31-member panel to take final call

Upset over denial of ticket for Karnal Assembly seat, former Mayor Renu Bala Gupta held a ‘sarav samaj’ convention on Tuesday evening. She alleged that the ticket was not given on merit. A committee of 31 members has been constituted to decide the future course of action. The panel will convey their decision by 11 am on Wednesday. She said they would go by the decision of people of Karnal.

The BJP has fielded Jagmohan Anand, former media coordinator to the former CM, from Karnal Assembly segment, sitting MLA Harvinder Kalyan from Gharaunda, former MLA Bhagwandas Kabirpanthi from Nilokheri and sitting MLA Ram Kumar Kashyap from Indri, and district president Yogendra Rana from Assandh seat.

Former Mayor Renu Bala Gupta has already expressed her anger over the ticket distribution from Karnal, saying merit was ignored in the allocation of tickets. She also held a meeting of her supporters on Tuesday evening. Besides, party’s former district president Ashok Sukhija, who was also among the ticket aspirants, expressed dissatisfaction after being denied the ticket. Gupta and Sukhija have already given a call to hold separate meetings of their supporters to decide their future course of action.

Meanwhile, Anand is making all out efforts to pacify the party cadre and reaching out to them. CM Nayab Singh Saini and former CM Manohar Lal Khattar have also tried to pacify the dissident leaders. Saini reached the residence of former Mayor Gupta late on Saturday evening and tried to pacify her and Khattar also reached there to tackle the situation on Sunday. Gupta has already urged the CM to contest from Karnal seat or field senior most leader of party Ashok Sukhija, OSD to CM Sanjay Bathla or Mukesh Arora, who were also among the ticket aspirants like her.

“If the party does not field me, I request CM Saini to either contest from Karnal, or field senior leader Ashok Sukhija, Sanjay Bathla or Mukesh Arora. We will support with an open heart and will ensure the party’s win,” Gupta said.

BJP women cell state vice-president Meena Chauhan has also resigned from the party’s primary membership, alleging that the party has ignored dedicated workers who worked on ground. She will file her nomination as an Independent candidate on Wednesday from Nilokheri seat.

From Indri, former BJP leader and ex-MLA Karan Dev Kamboj also expressed his anger over ticket distribution in Radaur and Indri segments. He held a mahapanchayat of his supporters on Tuesday in Indri and left the decision on the 31-member committee about his contesting elections, which will announce a decision on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, advocate Vijaypal, son of former Deputy Speaker of Haryana Assembly, has also expressed displeasure over the ticket allocation to Indri MLA Ram Kumar Kashyap, saying it was given against the will of people.

Former CPS and BJP leader Zile Ram Sharma expressed anger over the ticket distribution in Assandh to district president Yogendra Rana, saying he was ignored. He has also called a meeting of his supporters on Wednesday in Assandh about his future course of action.

However, the Congress has witnessed lesser resentment in comparison to the BJP. Congress leader Rajiv Gonder, who is son of former MLA Mamu Ram Gonder and had joined the party ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, expressed displeasure over the distribution of ticket to sitting Independent MLA Dharampal Gonder. Congress leader and former MLA Raj Kumar Valmiki also expressed his unhappiness on ticket distribution in Nilokheri, creating trouble for Gonder.

Political observers said it is like a hard nut to crack for the BJP leadership to retain its winning streak. “The BJP has to pacify all leaders if it wants to retain the winning streak of the Lok Sabha at all five Assembly segments otherwise the rebels may spoil the party’s goal to win at these seats,” said Dr Ramji Lal, former principal of Dyal Singh College and a political observer.