Voting is to be held on October 1 to elect a new government in Haryana and the results will be declared on October 4. With the announcement of the Haryana election schedule, the political hustle and bustle has increased. Leaders preparing to field themselves or someone close to them are busy lobbying for tickets. At the same time, political parties are also busy setting equations keeping in mind the results of the recent Lok Sabha elections. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has also started the process of candidate selection. After losing five seats in the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP is preparing to enter the electoral battle of Haryana with a changed strategy in the changed circumstances.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has repeatedly described dynasty and casteism as termites. Recently, while addressing the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on the 78th Independence Day, the Prime Minister had attacked dynasty and called for bringing one lakh such youth into politics whose family members have never been in politics. But in the Haryana elections, BJP can change its stand. Union Minister Rao Indrajit Singh is seeking tickets for his daughter Aarti Rao, Krishan Pal Gurjar for his son, MP Dharamveer for his brother or son, Kuldeep Bishnoi for his son, Ramesh Kaushik for his brother, Assembly Speaker Gyan Chand Gupta for his nephew.
Dynasty politics has been the basis of BJP’s politics in Haryana. BJP has been targeting Chautala and Hooda families on the issue of dynasty politics. The party has also refrained from giving tickets to the family members and relatives of its leaders in the state, but this time, in view of the difficult path, there is talk of changing this strategy. Last time, BJP had won 40 seats and was short of the magic number needed for majority. In the recent Lok Sabha elections too, the results were not favorable for the party. In such a situation, BJP is now preparing to change its strategy and field winning faces, even if they are family members or relatives of a leader.
BJP’s focus in Haryana has been on the non-Jat vote bank. The party is now trying to create a new equation of votes to form the government for the third time. Be it the inclusion of Kiran Chaudhary, who was once a big face of Haryana Congress, in the party or the cabinet’s decision to bring many crops under the ambit of MSP, all these are being said to be a part of this strategy. BJP has now focused on small vote banks instead of mass vote banks. Haryana BJP leaders feel that if non-Jat voters mobilize due to Congress’s excessive dependence on Bhupendra Hooda, if even a small part of Jat votes come with the party because of Kiran Chaudhary and if a small section of farmers also stands with the party, then the path to power for the third time can be easy.
BJP, which has an image of contesting elections in a presidential style, is busy marking seats in Haryana this time. Along with preparing a panel of winning faces for each seat, focus is also being laid on which factors can be deciding on which seat and how to make the atmosphere favourable. The party may announce tickets soon so that the candidates get more time for campaigning and public relations.
To deal with anti-incumbency, BJP can cut the tickets of almost half of the MLAs. Perhaps this is the reason why Ranjit Chautala, the power minister of Saini government and independent MLA from Rania seat, has categorically said that he will contest the election from Rania seat in any case. Ranjit Chautala resigned from the membership of the Vidhan Sabha just before the Lok Sabha elections and joined the BJP. BJP had also given him a ticket from Hisar seat but he lost the election.
For the last Haryana elections, BJP had released a manifesto on the theme ‘We take care of everyone. We do not delay, misdirect or obstruct schemes.’ This time the theme of the party’s manifesto will be farmers and the poor. BJP Manifesto Committee chief OP Dhankhar has said that the party’s manifesto will be dedicated to the interests of farmers and the poor. Making Dhankhar the chief of the Manifesto Committee and including Devi Lal’s daughter-in-law Kiran Chaudhary in it is also being linked to the strategy of giving a positive message to the Jat vote bank which is said to be angry.
After being elected to the Lok Sabha on a Congress ticket, Deepender Singh Hooda resigned from the Rajya Sabha membership. Nominations for the by-election on the seat vacated by Deepender’s resignation are to be held from August 21. There was a discussion that BJP is preparing to send Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu to the Rajya Sabha from this seat. Now the party is preparing to send a face from Haryana to Parliament from this seat. It is being said that the assembly elections are near, in such a situation, sending a leader from another state to the Rajya Sabha from this seat may backfire. Keeping this in mind, this principle decision has been taken.
Source (PTI) (NDTV) (HINDUSTANTIMES)