Give ticket or will join Cong: Rao Narbir

Tribune News Service

Gurugram, September 2

The BJP is in a fix following an ultimatum by BJP leader and former minister Rao Narbir that if the party failed to give him a ticket, he would join the Congress.

Narbir, who has been claiming that he was the only winnable candidate for the BJP from the Badshahpur Assembly segment, announced at a public meeting last night that he had no plans to contest as an Independent, and if the BJP failed to accommodate him, he would part ways. His statement has validated reports of his negotiations with the Congress.

'In 2019, I did not get a ticket. This time, I will not be contesting as an Independent. There are only two parties in the fray, so if the BJP doesn’t give me a ticket, I will join the Congress,” he said.

He is the latest party leader to indulge in pressure tactics right before the announcement of the candidates' list. Narbir's prospects seem to have dimmed with the entry of former MP and senior party leader Sudha Yadav, who wants to contest the Vidhan Sabha elections. Though it has not been publically announced, Sudha has sought a ticket from Badshahpur. Narbir also faces stiff resistance from Gurugram MP and MoS Rao Inderjit Singh, who, at present, is yielding influence on the allocation of tickets in Ahirwal, including Badshahpur.

While Narbir has openly held Inderjit responsible for the non-allocation of ticket to him during the last election, Inderjit has repeatedly highlighted how the Narbir camp worked against him in the Lok Sabha elections and the party candidate in the 2019 poll.

Another BJP leader, Manish Yadav, who contested in 2019 and lost, is also seeking a ticket. Jawahar Yadav, a former officer on special duty (OSD) to former Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, and party district president Kamal Yadav are also in the fray.