Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi has championed the cause of backwardness and Dalits to the extent of demanding Dalit representation in the Miss India pageant, drawing sharp reactions. At a time when he and the opposition are demanding a caste census in India, the BJP’s first list of candidates for the Haryana elections consisting of 67 names – including 14 backward and 13 Dalits – is seen as the party’s answer to the Congress leadership.
While the BJP has drawn up the list, the Congress has not announced the names amid confusion over its alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), leading the BJP to take shots at the Grand Old Party.
BALANCE OF CASTE
BJP has made 14 faces from backward communities. The list approved by the Central Election Committee has representation from various backward castes like Gurjar, Yadav, Kashyap, Kumhar, Kamboj, Rajput and Saini.
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, who is posted from Ladwa constituency, is from the Saini community – a backward caste. The state has 42 percent OBC population and the BJP has been eyeing 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 village, Randhir Panihar from Panihar, and JP Dalal from Loharu are just a few examples. Om Prakash Dhankar from Badli is the main Jat candidate of the BJP.
The BJP is very careful to give tickets to disadvantaged sections of the Dalit community like Valmiki, Dhanuk, Bawariya and even Bazigar.
Jatav, considered the most backward among the Dalits, will be fielded by the BJP in this election. At least five from the Vaishya community will contest the BJP ticket.
However, in its overreach to the backward and Dalits, the BJP has been careful not to make the upper castes feel left out. With recent social media trends like ‘Brahmin Genes’ started by CEOs going viral, the BJP knows that its messaging is also true for the upper castes. 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 have also found a place in the BJP’s first candidate list.
BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari, took a dig at the Congress, calling it a “divided house”. “Congress party is a broken house. BJP believes in PM Modi’s Sabka Saath vision, Sabka Vikas slogan. That is why we have given proportional representation in ticket distribution in Haryana,” he said.
8 LADIES & 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, is a reserved seat; Kamlesh Dhanda, a Jat from Kalayat; Sunita Duggal from Ratia, a seat reserved for Scheduled Castes; Shruti Chaudhry, daughter of turncoat Kiran Chaudhry from Tosham; Manju Hooda from Garhi Sampla-Kiloi; Renu Dablla of Kalanaur; and Aarti Singh Rao — daughter of BJP leader Inderjit Singh Rao from Ateli.
The party has also accommodated many turncoats in the first list, making a worthy switch. Shakti Rani Sharma, who was posted from Kalka, switched from Jan Chetan Party to BJP. In fact, the BJP had to reject its leader Latika Sharma who sought a ticket for herself from Kalka. Meanwhile, Pavan Kharkahuda – a former JJP MP who recently joined the BJP – has been fielded by the saffron party from Kharkhauda.
Sonipat BJP candidate Nikhil Madan is also a turncoat who switched from Congress, while another JJP turncoat Ramkumar Gautam has exited from Safirdo seat. Another former JJP MP Devendra Singh Babli will fight on BJP ticket from Tohana constituency. Uklana will witness former JJP leader and MLA Anup Dhaka fighting on behalf of BJP. Shruti Chaudhry – who came from the Congress along with her mother and senior Haryana leader Kiran Chaudhry – will fight from the Tosham seat. Kiran Chaudhry has been sent to the Rajya Sabha from Haryana by the BJP. Another former JJP leader Sanjay Kablana has been posted from Beri. Meanwhile, the Radour seat will see former INLD leader Shayam Singh fight for the BJP.
While fielding many experienced faces, BJP has given opportunity to 27 new faces from Haryana this time. In addition, at least nine MLAs, including a sitting minister, were removed whose track record the party was not happy with – sending a strong message to everyone that nothing matters.
Some HICCUPS, though
While the BJP is confident of its candidate matrix, the Congress has mocked the saffron party for fielding the children of BJP leaders, questioning their moral authority to raise the ‘parivarvaad’ argument. News18 earlier reported that the BJP should blink ahead at least this time.
Congress chief whip in the Lok Sabha Manikam Tagore cited the examples of Kuldeep Bishnoi’s son Bhavya Bishnoi, Kiran Chaudhry’s daughter Shruti, Rao Inderjeet Singh’s daughter Aarti, Kartar Bharana Manmohan’s son, and Satyapal Sangwan’s son Sunil, who were selected by the election.
The first list also has a name that the BJP may find difficult to explain – former jail official Sunil Sangwan. He will contest from the Dadri seat which former BJP leader Somveer Sangwan won as an independent in 2019 after being denied a BJP ticket.
Under Sunil Sangwan’s watch, Dera Saccha Sauda chief and rape convict Ram Rahim was given the sixth release. Sangwan recently resigned as a prison officer to take the political plunge.
