India
Denial of entry tickets leads to riots in Haryana BJP | India News – Times of India
NEW DELHI: The revolt by officials denied tickets and unprecedented public criticism of the leadership have only compounded the tough challenge the BJP has already faced in Haryana during its decade-long rule.
The washing of dirty organisational linen in public follows the party’s decline in fortunes since the 2019 elections, when it won 10 Lok Sabha seats despite five years in power in a state that was never its stronghold. Factors that helped the party in 2019, notably Prime Minister Modi’s popularity, could not prevent the BJP from losing its majority and it was forced to seek the support of Dushyant Chautala’s JPP to form the government. Signs of fatigue were visible in the LS polls when the party managed to win just five seats. As if this were not worrying enough, the outbreak of dissent has made matters worse.
Soon after the BJP announced its second list of 21 candidates, several prominent leaders, including former vice-president Santosh Yadav, BJP state spokesperson Satyavrat Shastri and state executive committee member Shiv Kumar Mehta, quit the party. In its second list, the party dropped five-time MLA from Mahendragarh Ramvilas Sharmawho is now running as a rebel candidate.
Union Minister and Gurgaon MP Rao Inderjit Singh, who has been vocal against the state leadership even as his daughter Arti Singh Rao has been expelled from Ateli, came to Sharma’s support. Bhiwani-Mahendragarh MP Dharambir Singh was present with Rao when he addressed a meeting in Mahendragarh with Sharma.
The BJP has lost about a third of its MLAs and some state leaders allege that CM Nayab Saini had a “limited role” in selecting the candidate.
Party leader Karan Dev Kamboj said the uprising could have been averted if Saini had had a say in the allocation process. Kamboj, a former minister, had resigned as state unit OBC Morcha chief last week after he was denied a ticket.
On Tuesday, state unit vice-chairman Santosh Yadav resigned, saying grassroots leaders loyal to the party were being neglected. Yadav, a former vice-chairman, was said to have been eyeing the ticket from Ateli constituency.
The washing of dirty organisational linen in public follows the party’s decline in fortunes since the 2019 elections, when it won 10 Lok Sabha seats despite five years in power in a state that was never its stronghold. Factors that helped the party in 2019, notably Prime Minister Modi’s popularity, could not prevent the BJP from losing its majority and it was forced to seek the support of Dushyant Chautala’s JPP to form the government. Signs of fatigue were visible in the LS polls when the party managed to win just five seats. As if this were not worrying enough, the outbreak of dissent has made matters worse.
Soon after the BJP announced its second list of 21 candidates, several prominent leaders, including former vice-president Santosh Yadav, BJP state spokesperson Satyavrat Shastri and state executive committee member Shiv Kumar Mehta, quit the party. In its second list, the party dropped five-time MLA from Mahendragarh Ramvilas Sharmawho is now running as a rebel candidate.
Union Minister and Gurgaon MP Rao Inderjit Singh, who has been vocal against the state leadership even as his daughter Arti Singh Rao has been expelled from Ateli, came to Sharma’s support. Bhiwani-Mahendragarh MP Dharambir Singh was present with Rao when he addressed a meeting in Mahendragarh with Sharma.
The BJP has lost about a third of its MLAs and some state leaders allege that CM Nayab Saini had a “limited role” in selecting the candidate.
Party leader Karan Dev Kamboj said the uprising could have been averted if Saini had had a say in the allocation process. Kamboj, a former minister, had resigned as state unit OBC Morcha chief last week after he was denied a ticket.
On Tuesday, state unit vice-chairman Santosh Yadav resigned, saying grassroots leaders loyal to the party were being neglected. Yadav, a former vice-chairman, was said to have been eyeing the ticket from Ateli constituency.
