Haryana | Why BJP is facing wave of protests after releasing first list of candidates

The ruling BJP in Haryana is facing a wave of resentment after releasing its first list of candidates for October 5 Assembly polls, as many leaders tendered their resignation from the party to lodge their protest against it.

The BJP came out with its first list of 67 candidates on September 4 only to see a series of sudden protests and resignations by the party leaders along with their aides in Assembly constituencies such as Kurukshetra, Dabwali, Badhra, Hisar, Gurgaon and Ratia.

Time for damage control

In a damage control mode, the BJP now claims to have maintained the caste equation in mind while allotting tickets in the state.

“The party is in touch with the leaders who are unhappy. Everything is fine in the party and the second list will be out shortly. The party, however, has shortlisted winning profiles to ensure that we are voted to power for the third consecutive term,” Sandeep Joshi, a senior Haryana BJP leader, told The Federal. “As far as ticket distribution is concerned, the party has a policy in this regard and no one is above the policy,” he said.

GL Sharma, who quit the BJP three days ago, said, “The BJP argues that the recent leadership changes have mitigated anti-incumbency and the party can secure a victory through strategic social engineering and poll management. However, it is nothing but daydreaming and that is why the Haryana election has been preponed by a month.”

“Desperate for a win in Haryana, the BJP is employing divisive tactics, leveraging caste and religious differences to create a rift among the people. The party is facing a series of challenges due to a decade of anti-incumbency alongside issues like rising prices, unemployment, and ineffective governance. Moreover, despite being an industrial state, Haryana has failed to attract any significant industry over the past 10 years,” he said after joining the Congress.

BJP on weak wicket

“The BJP is losing this election for sure due to strong anti-incumbency, corruption and poor leadership in the last two consecutive terms. If you closely observe those who have resigned they had nothing to do with the party's ideology. Most of them rather were turncoats who had quit other parties to join the BJP for vested political interests,” political analyst Devinder Singh Surjewala told The Federal

“Devender Singh Babli, Ram Kumar Gautam, Annop Dhanak, Shakti Rani Sharma, Sanjay Kablana and Sunil Sangwan have been given tickets and they all are turncoats. In Gurgaon, Rao Narbir openly challenged the party, blackmailed it and still got a ticket from Badshahpur seat. GL Sharma, another Gurgaon BJP leader who resigned, was a Congress worker before 2014 Lok Sabha polls and had joined BJP for vested interest only. The dissent in BJP indicates that these leaders are not here to serve the electorate but to mint money by any means,” said Surjewala.

Fear of dissent

“Both the BJP and the Congress apprehend strong dissent from within their respective parties. The BJP has already seen huge protests along with mass resignations. The Congress, too, will witness similar protests. The reason for protest is obvious – top leaders of both the parties exploited money and muscle power of these disgruntled leaders only to dump them at time of ticket distribution,” a strong Jat leader told The Federal, attributing the protest to poor leadership of both the parties.

“Devender Singh Babli from Tohana quit Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) and joined the Congress recently only but was denied the party ticket. Subsequently, he quit the Congress and joined the BJP and his name figured in the BJP’s list of candidates. This is the state of affairs in Haryana. If we look at the 10 years of the BJP regime in Haryana, there has been massive corruption and people are fed up with the government. The slogan of minimum government and maximum governance was a sham,” he said.

Poll outcome critical

Political analysts believe that the Haryana Assembly election will play a crucial role in determining the outcome of the elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand.

“In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP/NDA fell short of expectations in Maharashtra and Haryana, securing only 17 and 5 seats, respectively. Scheduled to coincide with the elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand, the Haryana election has been unexpectedly advanced by nearly a month and segregated from the other two states,” Laxmi Kant Saini, a political analyst, told The Federal. He said Maharashtra is an economic powerhouse and is essential for any political party, while the BJP cannot afford to lose Jharkhand, a mineral-rich state crucial for catering to its industrialist support base, to the Opposition.

“The BJP faces significant anti-incumbency in Haryana, where both youth and farmers are upset with the current government, leading to strong support for the Opposition. Similarly, in Maharashtra, the revolt within the NCP and the Shiv Sena have been perceived by the locals as betrayal, further alienating them from the BJP. Voters grew disillusioned with the BJP due to its corrupt and unethical acts,” he said.

Therefore, the Haryana Assembly polls will be a litmus test for both the parties. It remains to be seen whether the BJP can manage anti-incumbency and undermine the Opposition’s confidence or the Congress can regain ground and capture more states to strengthen its claim at the Centre.