Haryana Election: BJP's Second Candidate List Cuts Tickets Of Incumbent MLAs, Fields A Hindu In Muslim-Dominated Nuh

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday (10 September) released its second list of candidates for the Haryana assembly elections scheduled for 5 October with 21 names.

The BJP has cut the tickets of its incumbent MLAs in Pehowa, Ganaur, Bawal, Pataudi, Hathin, Hodal and Badkhal. Even state BJP president Mohan Lal Badoli has been replaced in Rai.

On the contrary, Manish Grover and Naseem Ahmed, who lost in 2019 in Rohtak and Ferozepur Jhirka respectively, have been given an opportunity again.

The only incumbent MLA to get a ticket in this list is Om Prakash Yadav, who is fielded from his Narnaul constituency. Notably, the BJP has fielded a Hindu in the Muslim-dominated Nuh unlike in 2019.

The list comes on the day when the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) also released its second list of candidates with nine names after its talks of an alliance with the Congress failed.

This makes the Haryana election a five-cornered contest with BJP, Congress and AAP contesting alone and the alliances of BSP-INLD and between Dushyant Chautala's JJP and Chandra Shekhar Azad's ASP.

BJP is facing an anti-incumbency of 10 years and hence, it is replacing most of its incumbent MLAs. In the 2019 assembly elections, it won 40 seats, falling short of a majority.

The BJP formed an alliance with the JJP which won 10 seats in its maiden election after split from the INLD. However, the alliance fell apart earlier this year when Nayab Saini replaced Manohar Lal Khattar as the CM.