BJP Leaders’ Ticket Requests for Descendants and Supporters Adding to Party’s Woes

With the Haryana Assembly elections scheduled for October 5, all political parties are busy preparing and deliberating on ticket distribution. The BJP, in particular, is facing challenges due to several senior leaders seeking tickets for their descendants, family members, and supporters. This dilemma puts the party in a difficult position: denying these tickets might upset influential leaders, while granting them could fuel accusations of dynastic politics.

by Dr Ravindr Malik - September 4, 2024, 3:20 am

Rao Indrajit, Kiran Chaudhary, Dharamvir Singh, Krishan Pal Gurjar, Kuldeep Bishnoi, and Naveen Jindal are seeking tickets for their children, family members, and supporters.

With the Haryana Assembly elections scheduled for October 5, all political parties are busy preparing and deliberating on ticket distribution. The BJP, in particular, is facing challenges due to several senior leaders seeking tickets for their descendants, family members, and supporters. This dilemma puts the party in a difficult position: denying these tickets might upset influential leaders, while granting them could fuel accusations of dynastic politics.

Two Union Ministers of State, Krishna Pal Gurjar and Rao Indrajit Singh, have been lobbying for tickets for their children for the upcoming assembly elections. Gurjar is pushing for a ticket for his son, Devendra Chaudhary, while Singh is advocating for his daughter, Aarti Rao. Despite their efforts, the party had previously chosen other candidates, such as Rajesh Nagar and Sunil Musepur, over their children in the 2019 elections. The BJP’s reluctance to engage in nepotism is partly to avoid criticism from Congress, which the BJP has accused of similar practices.

Kiran Chaudhary, who recently joined the BJP from Congress, is also seeking a ticket for her daughter, Shruti, for the Tosham assembly seat. Despite the BJP’s unofficial policy of one ticket per family, Chaudhary’s influence and recent political achievements might support her daughter’s candidacy.

Naveen Jindal’s family is claiming a ticket for the Hisar assembly seat, either for his mother, Savitri Jindal, or his wife, Shalu Jindal. This claim is strengthened by the current political climate and ongoing disputes with the current MLA, Dr. Kamal Gupta. Jindal’s family has previously contested this seat, and the competition between them and Gupta continues.
In Tosham, a key constituency, BJP MP Dharamvir is pushing for a ticket for his son, Mohit. This seat is highly contested, with Kiran Chaudhary also seeking the ticket for her daughter. Dharamvir, who has won multiple Lok Sabha elections, has significant local influence but has been discontented with the party’s handling of his requests.

Kuldeep Bishnoi, dissatisfied after not receiving a ticket from Hisar in the last Lok Sabha elections, is now seeking tickets for his son Bhavya and two other candidates, Dudaram and Randhir Panihar, for Fatehabad and Nalwa. The potential replacement of Deputy Speaker Ranveer Ganga with Panihar is causing internal debate within the party.