Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi has been championing the cause of backwards and Dalits to the extent of even asking for Dalit representation in the Miss India contest, drawing sharp reactions. At a time when he and the Opposition have been demanding caste census in India, BJP’s first candidate list for the Haryana election consisting of 67 names — including 14 backwards and 13 Dalits — is seen as the party’s answer to the Congress leader.
While the BJP has come up with its list, the Congress is yet to declare names amid confusion about its alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), prompting the BJP to take a shot at the Grand Old Party.
CASTE BALANCING
The BJP has fielded 14 faces from the backward community. The Central Election Committee-approved list had representation from a wide variety of backward castes like Gurjar, Yadav, Kashyap, Kumhar, Kamboj, Rajput and Saini.
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, who has been fielded from Ladwa constituency, is from the Saini community — a backward caste. The state has 42 per cent OBC population and the BJP has been mindful of their adequate representation. The BJP has fielded OBC candidates from Jagadhari, Ladwa, Kaithal, Indri, Samalkha, Rewari, and Badshahpur among other assembly constituencies.
The party, which formed a non-Jat coalition and came to power in 2014, has been careful to field enough Jats this time. Kamlesh Dhanda from Kalayat, Mahipal Dhanda from Panipat rural, Randhir Panihar from Panihar, and JP Dalal from Loharu are just some of the examples. Om Prakash Dhankar from Badli is a prime Jat candidate of the BJP.
The BJP has been extremely careful to give tickets to disadvantaged sections of Dalit communities like Valmiki, Dhanuk, Bawariya and even Bazigar.
Jatav, considered the most backwards among the Dalits, will be fielded by the BJP in this election. At least five from the Vaishya community will contest on BJP tickets.
However, in its overreach for backwards and Dalits, the BJP has been careful to not make the upper castes feel left out. With recent social media trends like ‘Brahmin Genes’ started by a CEO going viral, BJP is aware that the messaging should be correct for the upper castes as well. The party has fielded nine Brahmins this time. Shaktirani Sharma from Kalka, Arvind Sharma from Gohana, Mukesh Sharma from Gurgaon, and Mulchand Sharma from Ballavgarh are some of the names.
Apart from Brahmins, Punjabis, Rajputs, and Jat Sikhs too have found their place in BJP’s first candidate list.
BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari, taking a dig at the Congress, called it a “divided house”. “The Congress party is a corrupt divided house. BJP believes in the vision of PM Modi’s Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas motto. This is why we have given proportionate representation in ticket distribution in Haryana,” he said.
8 WOMEN & MANY TURNCOATS
The BJP has fielded a total of eight women candidates — Shakti Rani Sharma from Kalka, who is also a Brahmin candidate; Santosh Sarwan from Murana, which is a reserved seat; Kamlesh Dhanda, a Jat from Kalayat; Sunita Duggal from Ratia, a reserved seat for Scheduled Castes; Shruti Chaudhry, daughter of turncoat Kiran Chaudhry from Tosham; Manju Hooda from Garhi Sampla-Kiloi; Renu Dablla from Kalanaur; and Aarti Singh Rao — daughter of BJP leader Inderjit Singh Rao from Ateli.
The party has also accommodated many turncoats in its first list, making their switch worthy. Shakti Rani Sharma, who is being fielded from Kalka, moved from Jan Chetan Party to BJP. In fact, the BJP had to say no to its leader Latika Sharma who was seeking a ticket for herself from Kalka. Meanwhile, Pavan Kharkahuda — a former JJP MLA who recently joined the BJP — has been fielded by the saffron party from Kharkhauda.
BJP’s Sonipat candidate Nikhil Madan is also a turncoat who switched from the Congress, while another JJP turncoat Ramkumar Gautam has been fielded from Safirdo seat. Another former JJP MLA Devendra Singh Babli will fight on a BJP ticket from Tohana constituency. Uklana will witness former JJP leader and MLA Anup Dhaka fight on behalf of the BJP. Shruti Chaudhry — who has come from the Congress along with her mother and senior Haryana leader Kiran Chaudhry — will fight from Tosham seat. Kiran Chaudhry has been sent to Rajya Sabha from Haryana by the BJP. Another former JJP leader Sanjay Kablana has been fielded from Beri. Meanwhile, Radour seat will see former INLD leader Shayam Singh fight for the BJP.
While fielding many experienced faces, the BJP has given a chance to as many as 27 fresh faces from Haryana this time. Also, at least nine MLAs, including sitting ministers, have been dropped whose track record the party found unsatisfactory — sending out a strong message to everyone that no one is indispensable.
SOME HICCUPS, THOUGH
While the BJP is sure of its candidate matrix, the Congress has mocked the saffron party for fielding children of BJP leaders, questioning its moral authority to raise the ‘parivarvaad’ argument. News18 had earlier reported that BJP would have to blink on the front at least this time.
Congress chief whip in Lok Sabha Manikam Tagore cited examples of Kuldeep Bishnoi’s son Bhavya Bishnoi, Kiran Chaudhry’s daughter Shruti, Rao Inderjeet Singh’s daughter Aarti, Kartar Bharana’s son Manmohan, and Satyapal Sangwan’s son Sunil who have been electorally fielded by the BJP.
The first list also had a name that may become tough for the BJP to explain — former prison official Sunil Sangwan. He will contest from the Dadri seat that ex-BJP leader Somveer Sangwan won as an independent in 2019 after being denied a BJP ticket.
Under Sunil Sangwan’s watch, Dera Saccha Sauda head and rape convict Ram Rahim was granted parole six times. Sangwan recently resigned as a jail officer to take the political plunge.
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