In a significant political shift ahead of the Haryana Assembly polls, ruling BJP legislator Lakshman Dass Napa has announced his departure from the party after being denied a ticket. Napa expressed his resignation in a letter to the state party chief, Mohan Lal Badoli, immediately following the BJP’s release of its first candidate list, which included 67 names.
The BJP has selected former Sirsa MP Sunita Duggal to contest from the Ratia constituency, previously represented by Napa. Duggal was not renominated for the Sirsa Parliamentary Constituency in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections after the party chose to support former Haryana Congress chief Ashok Tanwar, who ultimately lost to Congress veteran Kumari Selja.
In a strategic move, the BJP’s first list includes Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini as its candidate from the Ladwa seat, as the party aims for a third consecutive victory in the Assembly elections. This list is notable for including several recent entrants to the party. The BJP is contending with a reinvigorated Congress party that is eager to leverage the anti-incumbency sentiment among voters.
As the party positions Saini as its Chief Ministerial candidate, the political landscape intensifies ahead of the elections, with the counting of votes scheduled for October 8 for the 90-member Assembly.
