Haryana: BJP candidate from Sirsa withdraws nomination

Haryana: BJP’s Sirsa candidate Rohtash Jangra on Monday, September 16, announced that he has withdrawn his candidature from the seat. The move suggests that the party may support Haryana Lokhit Party chief Gopal Khanda. Khanda, an MP from Sirsa, had earlier supported the BJP government. “I have withdrawn my nomination. This decision has been taken keeping in mind the interests of the state and the country… We have to ensure ‘Sansad Mukt Haryana’,” Jangra told PTI over the phone. He is the Haryana party president and currently MP from Sirsa. He served as home minister, industry minister and urban local government minister. Recently, he was acquitted in a high-profile case related to the suicide of an air hostess. Sirsa has considerable political influence

The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) on Thursday announced its support to Khanda in Sirsa. The INLD is contesting the parliamentary election in alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). This alliance could have a big impact on the electoral dynamics of Sirsa. Like the Congress, the BJP will now contest 89 of the 90 seats in the Haryana Assembly. The Congress left out the CPI(M), i.e. H. Sree Bhavani, one seat. Last week, the Bharatiya Janata Party announced its final list of candidates for the Haryana elections and initially Jangra was nominated by Sirsa but he later withdrew his name.

Upcoming Elections

Polling for the 90 seats of the Haryana Assembly will be held on October 5 and the counting of votes will take place on October 8. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party is eyeing a third consecutive victory but faces a strong challenge from the Congress based on anti-incumbency sentiment.