BJP poll panel meets, wants Barala to shortlist nominees

Sushil Manav
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, March 18

The state election committee of the BJP today authorised Subhash Barala, state president of the party, to shortlist candidates for 10 Lok Sabha seats from Haryana to be forwarded to the central election committee for finalisation of party tickets.

Barala will prepare panels in consultation with Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, election in-charge for Haryana Kalraj Mishra and BJP general secretary and in-charge for the state Anil Jain and will soon forward them to the central panel of the party.

The state election committee that met in New Delhi today was attended by Khattar, Mishra, Jain, Barala, organising secretary Suresh Bhatt, union minister Rao Inderjit Singh, Haryana ministers Ram Bilas Sharma, OP Dhankar, Captain Abhimanyu and Anil Vij among others.

Sources said the committee discussed the names of probable candidates for eight seats and did not touch Gurugram and Faridabad, indicating that the party may have decided to renominate sitting MPs Rao Inderjit Singh and Krishan Pal Gurjar, respectively, from these seats.

The sources said the election committee members appeared to be in a fix over probable candidates for Rohtak, Hisar and Sonepat seats.

Rohtak and Hisar are at present held by Opposition MPs Deepender Hooda (Congress) and Dushyant Chautala (INLD, now in JJP), respectively, and the party and the state election committee has not been able to come to any conclusion on these seats so far.

Sonepat, though considered a Hooda stronghold, is represented by BJP MP Ramesh Kaushik, but the party, according to sources, has made up its mind to replace him. Sirsa is another seat in the Opposition kitty, it is with Charanjit Singh Rori of the INLD.

Rao Inderjit, Gurjar may be picked again

Sources said the committee discussed the names of probable candidates for eight seats and did not touch Gurugram and Faridabad, indicating that the party may have decided to renominate sitting MPs Rao Inderjit Singh and Krishan Pal Gurjar, respectively, from these seats.