Chandigarh: The BJP in the poll-bound Haryana is eyeing to rev up its campaign at its rally, to be held in Jind on September 1, which is likely to be attended by about six Central ministers, besides several senior leaders.
The assembly elections in Haryana are scheduled for October 1 while the votes would be counted on October 4.
According to party leaders, the Union ministers from Haryana who are likely to address the rally include Manohar Lal Khattar, Rao Inderjit Singh, Krishan Pal Gurjar. Other prominent leaders would include Union minister and Haryana assembly polls in-charge Dharmendra Pradhan, chief minister Nayab Saini, Haryana BJP incharge Satish Punia and state party chief Mohan Lal Badoli.
According to information, the three former legislators of Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) – the party that was BJP’s ally and partner in the government till recently – would also join the saffron party at the rally. They are Ram Niwas Surjakheda, Jogi Ram and Anup Dhanak, who resigned from JJP only a few days ago.
Stating that party’s focus was not only to rev up the party’s poll campaign, the party leaders said that the party also hoped to consolidate its position in the Jat heartland by holding this rally at Jind as this district has five assembly segments which fall in three Lok Sabha seats – Hisar, Sonepat and Sirsa. These trio Lok Sabha seats were won by Congress in the recent parliamentary elections. Besides, Jind was also the citadel of former Union minister Birender Singh who had recently quit the saffron party and returned to Congress along with his son Brijendra Singh, a former BJP MP from Hisar and wife Premlata Singh, a BJP MLA from Uchana Kalan, an assembly constituency in Jind district.
Notably, Premlata Singh was defeated by JJP leader and former deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala in 2019 and Birender Singh and Dushyant came at loggerheads over the issue of contesting from Uchana Kalan. Both wanted to contest from this seat.
However, while Birender Singh quit BJP and returned to Congress, the BJP dumped its four-and-half year old ally JJP in March this year.
The BJP which had won 41 seats out of total 90 seats in the 2019 Haryana assembly election had forged an alliance with JJP which had won 10 seats. However, the BJP snapped ties with the JJP as it had the backing of most of the seven independents and some of the JJP legislators. The principal opposition Congress has 30 MLAs and there is an MLA of Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and one of Haryana Lokhit Party (HLP).
