Learning From UP Mistakes, BJP Keeps RSS In The Loop For Haryana Election

The Haryana unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is holding marathon meetings for the state assembly election due in October this year.

The most notable of these meetings was the one with the Rashtriya Swayasevak Sangh (RSS). Rumours about a rift between the two organisations have been brewing for nearly two months.

One of the main reasons for the BJP's losses in Uttar Pradesh (UP), where it came down to 33 seats in 2024 from 62 in 2019, was said to be a lack of coordination with the RSS.

It was alleged that the RSS was not kept in the loop during the ticket distribution. Learning from these mistakes, the Haryana BJP discussed ticket distribution with the RSS in the 29 July meeting.

The main point of discussion was whether to give tickets to the relatives of BJP leaders. Both the RSS and the BJP are known to oppose dynastic politics but have given consideration to the criteria of winnability.

This was seen in UP's Kaiserganj, where Karan Bhushan Singh won his father Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh's seat, and in Madhya Pradesh's Morena, where Shivmangal Singh Tomar won Narendra Singh Tomar's seat.

In Haryana, too, leaders like Union Ministers Rao Indrajeet Singh and Krishan Pal Gurjar want to field their daughter Arati Rao and son Devendra Pal Chaudhary, respectively.

Similarly, MP Dharamveer and former MP Ramesh Kaushik want to field their brothers. The family of former Congress leader Kuldeep Bishnoi is also in the fray.

The discussion reached the conclusion that denying tickets to the relatives of BJP leaders who are in a good position to win may not be the best strategy in a close-fought election like the one coming up.

The meeting also discussed ongoing narratives and dealing with demands made by leaders for tickets for their kin and how to explain the same to the party and outside.

It has been decided that a "cohesive view" of things will be maintained, and the RSS will be kept in the loop so that its organisational strength can be put to the best use by the BJP.

The meeting lasted five hours and was attended by General Secretary Arun Kumar, the Director of the Northern Region and the State Director of Haryana from the RSS.

From the BJP, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, his predecessor Manohar Lal Khattar, Haryana election in-charge Dharmendra Pradhan, co-in-charge Biplab Deb, and general secretary (organisation) B L Santhosh were present.

Thereafter, the BJP held another meeting in New Delhi on 30 July at Pradhan's residence. The seven-hour-long meeting started at 8.30 pm on 30 July and lasted until 3.30 am on 31 July. It was held in two phases.

The agency doing surveys for the BJP joined this meeting. The positives and negatives of all 90 assembly seats and the probable candidates for all seats were discussed.

The BJP will finalise the candidates by the end of August, but before reaching the final decision, the RSS' feedback will be sought.

The survey agency also gave feedback on the perception among the masses about the ruling BJP government. It will help the party plan its election strategy.

Other Discussions

A plan was made to give a sharp rebuttal to the Congress' 'Haryana Mange Hisaab', a campaign led by Rohtak MP Deepender Singh Hooda. What narratives have to be run on internet media were discussed.

The BJP's campaign strategy and the schedule of programmes of prominent BJP leaders like Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Jagat Prakash Nadda, and Nitin Gadkari were also discussed.

PM Modi is expected to visit Haryana after 15 August to inaugurate and kick off various development projects. Home Minister Shah might come to Chandigarh before him.

The 'district stay programmes' (Jila Pravas Karyakram in Hindi) of CM Saini and state BJP president Mohan Lal Badoli were also discussed. The party is also planning to bring an interesting manifesto, better than the ones in 2014 and 2019.

The second phase of the meeting had a streamlined discussion among Haryana BJP in-charge Pradhan and co-in-charge Deb, CM Saini, former CM Khattar, and state BJP president Badoli.

They decided to prepare a report card of incumbent MLAs and those who unsuccessfully contested the election in 2019 and to see whether they are eligible to get tickets this time as well.