CM Nayab Singh Saini will contest from Ladwa (Kurukshetra distt) | Former Home Minister Anil Vij from Ambala Cantt | Former Rohtak MP Dr Arvind Sharma from Gohana (Sonipat distt) | Former finance minister Capt Abhimanyu from Narnaund (Hisar distt) | Speaker Gian Chand Sharma from Panchkula
Among others former minister Vinod Sharma’s wife Shakti Rani Sharma from Kalka (Panchkula distt) | former MP from Bhiwani-Mahendragarh Shruti Choudhry from Tosham (Bhiwani distt) | Sitting MLA Bhavya Bishnoi from Adampur (Hisar distt)
Mix of experience and youth | 25 new faces | 8 ministers repeated | 5 tickets given to candidates who had lost the 2019 assembly election | Seats of two MLAs changed | 2 ministers, 9 MLAs ignored | 17 seats to OBCs, 13 seats each to jats and SCs (out of 17 seats reserved for SCs) | 8 women candidates in first list | 10 who have crossed over from other parties
In announcing its first list of 67 candidates for the 2024 elections to the 90-seat Haryana Vidhan Sabha, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), eyeing a record third consecutive term in the state despite facing a strong anti-incumbency backlash and internal strife, has settled for a mix of experience and youth.
The expectation that the party will replace sitting MLAs on a large scale in an effort to reduce the impact of the anti-incumbency factor has been belied. Given its difficult position, the party appears to have decided to play safe, and not antagonise too many senior leaders.
According to the list, approved by the party’s central election committee, and posted on the official party X handle on Wednesday evening, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini will contest the election from Ladwa in Kurukshetra district.
Former home minister Anil Vij is being repeated from Ambala Cantt, as is Vidhan Sabha speaker Gian Chand Gupta from Panchkula.
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Former state BJP president Om Prakash Dhankar has been fielded from Badli (Jhajjar distt), former speaker Kanwar Pal Gurjar from Jagadhri (Yamunanagar distt), and former Sirsa MP Sunita Duggal from Ratia (Sirsa distt).
Union minister Rao Inderjit Singh’s daughter Arti Singh Rao will contest from Ateli (Mahendragarh distt).
The Haryana assembly elections are scheduled to be held on October 5, and the counting of votes will take place on October 8.
The candidates can file their nomination papers till September 12 and withdraw by September 16.
The BJP’s list comes the same day its former post-poll ally, Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), released the first list of 19 candidates in alliance with Azad Samaj Party (ASP). Former deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala will contest from Uchana Kalan (Jind distt), from where he is a sitting MLA. While 15 candidates on the list are from the JJP, four are from the Chandra Shekhar Azad-led ASP.
A resurgent Congress is leaving no stone unturned to wrest power from the BJP after 10 years. Since every seat is important, it is also in last minute talks with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to contest the assembly elections together.
THE LIST
