Hours before the BJP announced its first list of 78 candidates for the Haryana Assembly election, on Monday, the party’s Gurugram MLA Umesh Agarwal, hinting that all was not well in the BJP, advised the high command in a series of tweets not to give cold shoulder to Union Minister and Gurugram MP Rao Inderjit Singh in ticket distribution in south Haryana and offer tickets on merit.
Of the 14 seats in south Haryana, comprising Gurugram, Mewat, Rewari and Mahendgarh districts, the BJP announced candidates for 11, leaving the Assembly seats of Gurugram, Rewari and Kosli to be decided later. Four of the eight sitting MLAs in the region, including Haryana PWD Minister Rao Narbir Singh, have been denied ticket. However, Mr. Narbir Singh, considered close to Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, could be considered for Rewari or Kosli. All the three remaining seats in the region are held by the BJP.
Mr. Inderjit Singh, descendant of key 1857 rebellion leader Rao Tula Ram, enjoys huge support in the region, also known as the ‘Ahirwal belt’, dominated by the Yadavs. Seeking ticket for his daughter Arti Singh Rao from Rewari, Mr. Inderjit Singh has been sulking after the high command decided not to field the family and the relatives of the sitting MLAs and MPs. He is also upset over the party not accommodating enough number of his supporters. Amid reports of Mr. Inderjit Singh not being happy with the treatment meted out to him in the party, he is also said to have met former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda a few days back.
The Ahirwal region holds an important place in the BJP’s scheme to return to power in the State and the party cannot afford to annoy Mr. Inderjit Singh. It could be one of the reasons the decision on the key seat of Rewari has been put off, party sources said.
In 2009, Congress had won seven of the 14 seats in south Haryana to form the government, but it failed to open its account in 2014 after Mr. Inderjit Singh quit the party and joined the BJP a few months before the election. Interestingly, the BJP, which drew blank in 2009 in this region, won 11 of the 14 seats in 2014.
