Haryana Elections: The central leadership of BJP will brainstorm on the names of candidates for the Haryana assembly elections on Thursday. After the big setback in the general elections, the BJP leadership is busy in balancing the social equations for the assembly elections. The party can also cut the tickets of almost half of the current MLAs to counter the anti-incumbency atmosphere. The party is also considering the names of those MPs who did not get tickets in the Lok Sabha elections.
According to sources, based on its internal survey, BJP has decided to cancel the tickets of half of the current MLAs. The names for all the seats in the state will be discussed in the Central Election Committee meeting on Thursday evening. The party can release the names of about 50 to 60 candidates in the first list. Former MP Sunita Duggal, who did not contest the Lok Sabha elections, is also likely to get a ticket. Half a dozen leaders who have come from other parties can also be given tickets.
This time’s elections are very important for the BJP in Haryana. Being in power in the state for the last ten years, it is facing an anti-incumbency environment. There is also pressure to balance social equations. The BJP formed the government in the state with an absolute majority ten years ago in 2014. In the Lok Sabha elections held earlier that year, it had won all ten seats. In 2019 too, the party won all ten Lok Sabha seats, but could not get a majority in the Assembly. It got only 40 seats in the 90-member assembly and formed the government with the support of JJP (10) and some independents. However, Manohar Lal Khattar remained the Chief Minister.
To stop the Jat polarization happening with the Congress, the BJP has included former Congress minister and Chaudhary Bansi Lal’s daughter-in-law Kiran Chaudhary and her daughter Shruti in its fold. Kiran has also been made a member of the Rajya Sabha by the BJP, so that the polarization of the Jat community does not happen with the Congress. The JJP, which is contesting the elections with the BJP and Congress in the state, has formed an alliance with Chandrashekhar Azad (Ravan)’s party Azad Samaj Party.
Efforts to attract non-Jat community as well
BJP has been doing politics of non-Jat polarization in the last two elections. Now the situation has changed. This strategy was not completely successful in the Lok Sabha elections. Dalits and other communities also supported the Congress. In such a situation, BJP is trying to keep the non-Jat communities with it along with appeasing the Jat community. Before the general elections, the party made Nayab Singh Saini the Chief Minister in place of Manohar Lal Khattar and its relationship with JJP also broke.