Gurugram: The BJP, in a significant development, has withdrawn its candidate from the Sirsa assembly seat, which former minister Gopal Kanda is contesting as the candidate of his party, Haryana Lokhit Party (HLP). Rohtash Jangra, the BJP’s candidate from Sirsa, withdrew his nomination on Monday, the last day for nomination withdrawals.
Ahead of the development, the BJP called an emergency meeting in Sirsa and decided that Jangra should step down. The BJP has now extended its support to HLP candidate Gopal Kanda who already has the backing of the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).
Speaking to the media after his withdrawal from the elections, Rohtash Jangra said, “I have withdrawn my nomination in line with the organisation’s directions. Together, we will defeat the Congress party.”
The development comes a day after the Haryana Lokhit Party chief reaffirmed his affiliation with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), saying that he, on winning the Sirsa seat, would form the government with the BJP.
He also listed his family’s long-standing connection with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). His father, Murli Dhar Kanda, contested the Dabwali seat in 1952 on a Jan Sangh ticket, and his mother continues to vote for the BJP.
This is the second rethinking of candidates by the ruling BJP in Haryana. Before this, the BJP changed its candidate for the Pehowa seat in Kurukshetra, with Jai Bhagwan Sharma (DD) replacing Kanwaldeep Singh Ajrana.
Mahabir Jaglan, a political analyst in Haryana, said the moves show the BJP’s desperation amid talk on the streets about the Congress assuming power after the assembly elections this time.
Currently, the BJP is aiming to stop the division of its votes and making every attempt to divide the anti-BJP votes, Jaglan said. “This development has made it clear that it is not just about the alliance between (Gopal) Kanda and the BJP, but a larger unwritten alliance is at work against the Congress in Haryana, and the INLD-BSP alliance is also its part,” he told ThePrint.
On the other hand, INLD secretary-general Abhay Singh Chautala, addressing a press conference at Ellenabad on Monday, said he would hold consultations, within his party and with alliance partner BSP, on what to do now. “If the BJP has supported Kanda and the latter has accepted it, we definitely will hold discussions within the alliance on the issue of our support,” Chautala said.
Speaking to ThePrint, INLD state president Ram Pal Majra clarified on Monday that the INLD-BSP had nothing to do with the understanding between Gopal Kanda and the BJP.
“We are very clear that we are neither a part of the NDA nor support the Congress. After the elections, our party would form its government in alliance with the BSP. The party would not support the BJP or the Congress at all. We can accept support, but we will not extend support,” Majra said.
Polling for Haryana’s 90 assembly seats will be on on 5 October this year, with the results scheduled for 8 October. Monday (16 September) is the last day for withdrawing candidates.
In the 2019 Haryana assembly elections, the BJP joined hands with the INLD-BSP after the alliance candidate Gopal Kanda became the MLA from Sirsa and extended his support to the BJP.
During ticket distribution, this time, there was speculation that the BJP might give Kanda the Sirsa ticket, but the party announced Rohtash Jangra as its candidate instead.
A day later, HLP joined hands with the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), which was already in an alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).
Following that, INLD chief general secretary Abhay Singh Chautala declared Gopal Kanda as the alliance candidate in Sirsa. Gokul Setia, the Congress candidate, will be Kanda’s main rival.
In the 2019 assembly elections, Setia, contesting as an Independent, gave Kanda a tough fight, with Kanda winning by just 603 votes. Gokul Setia is the grandson of former MLA Laxman Das Arora, who has, so far, served five terms. His mother, Sunita Setia, contested the 2014 assembly elections from Sirsa on a BJP ticket but lost.
At the beginning of August this year, during his visit to Sirsa, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Saini informed the media that the BJP would contest the Haryana assembly polls in alliance with Gopal Kanda’s HLP. He also said that HLP is a part of the NDA (National Democratic Alliance).
However, reportedly, Kanda wanted 15 seats for his HLP, and the BJP was unprepared to give him that many, instead offering to merge his party with the BJP.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
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