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In a tight spot in south Haryana, BJP banks on Modi for final push

Gurgaon: More than the opposition candidates, it is the rebels who are giving sleepless nights to BJP strategists in south Haryana . They are being backed by a section in BJP and RSS that is unhappy with ticket distribution.

To counter any chances of these rebels spoiling its prospects, BJP is bringing in Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address a mega rally in Rewari — his first here in six years — on October 19, the last day of campaigning.



The event did not figure in the party’s initial schedule for the PM. It was only planned at the last minute to boost its candidates in south Haryana, and Rewari in particular. The party has been facing discontent in this region after it replaced the sitting MLAs in Rewari, Pataudi and Sohna with new faces.

Gurgaon MP Rao Inderjit Singh played an instrumental role in the selection of candidates from the region. He had lobbied hard for a ticket for his daughter Aarti from Rewari, but was denied as BJP issued a diktat not to give tickets to relatives and family members of MPs and MLAs. He then managed to get the ticket for his loyalist Sunil Musepur.

However, Musepur now faces a stiff challenge from sitting MLA Randhir Singh Kapriwas, who is contesting as an Independent. He has clearly let his resentment for Inderjit known, coining the slogan “Inderjit teri khair nahi, Khattar tujhse bair nahi (Inderjit, you won’t be spared, Khattar, no grudge against you).” Kapriwas claims to represent the ‘real BJP’ and is getting support from a large section of party workers.

On the other hand, Musepur has not been very active in the area. Inderjit has been camping in Rewari since his nomination, holding a series of meetings to placate his supporters. He urged people to support the candidate, saying years of work done by BJP would go waste if they win all seats in south Haryana but lose Rewari.

“Think about the consequences that we will have to face if we lose this seat. Those like Kapriwas are fake BJP members. One fish can spoil the entire pond,” Inderjit said at a rally.

However, his efforts so far have not yielded the desired result. Rallies by chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar and BJP working president JP Nadda followed but they, too, failed to draw a big crowd. Nadda said BJP was a party of discipline. “No indiscipline will be tolerated. Whoever has gone from the party, their career has been finished,” he told the crowd.

Musepur’s task will not be made any easier by a strong Congress candidate, Chiranjeev Rao,who is the son of six-time Rewari MLA and veteran leader Capt Ajay Singh Yadav. It is the first election for Chiranjeev, a former president of the Haryana Youth Congress, but he is heavily relying on his father’s strong hold in the region and the Ahir community.

BJP’s headache is not just restricted to Rewari. In Pataudi too, it is facing stiff competition from its rebel Narender Pahadi, a hardcore RSS man. BJP dropped sitting MLA Bimla Chaudhary, an Inderjit loyalist, and gave the ticket to Satya Prakash Jrawata, who is close to Khattar. Jrawata, who joined BJP in 2014, is not very popular among local BJP workers. “He had given controversial statements about Hanuman ji and other religious idols,” a RSS worker from Pataudi said, adding that the party had taken the wrong decision by giving him a ticket.

On the other hand, Pahadi has been a grassroots BJP worker and was associated with RSS for years. He is getting support from some workers as he gears up for the elections.

Similarly in Sohna, JJP’s Rohtash Khatana, the richest candidate in the poll fray, is giving BJP a run for its money. BJP has replaced its sitting MLA Tejpal Tawar, a Gujjar, with Sanjay Singh, a Rajput. Sohna is a Gujjar-dominated constituency while Rajputs have only around 20,000 votes. Khatana, a Gujjar, is getting the community’s backing. A section of BJP is also unhappy with the party for giving a ticket to an ‘outsider’. Singh is from Nuh and had lost three previous elections from there.

With voting day approaching, BJP will now look to Modi to give it the final push in this region and counter any impact the rebels may have. Its last-ditch effort to keep its seats intact, however, has not escaped the notice of Congress.

“From Amit Shah to Rajnath Singh, many leaders have campaigned for BJP in this region and now they are going to bring Narendra Modi. This speaks about the confidence they (BJP) have about their prospects,” senior Congress leader Captain Ajay Yadav said.

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