'Loyal Workers Being Sidelined': Another Senior Haryana Leader Quits BJP

In another setback for the BJP weeks ahead of the Assembly elections in Haryana, a vice president of the state unit has quit the party and accused it of prioritising leaders who have never worked for the organisation over those who have been loyal to it. The resignation of Santosh Yadav, who is also a former deputy speaker, follows a string of similar actions by leaders upset over being denied a ticket in the two lists of candidates declared by the party for the Haryana elections.

Sources said Ms Yadav was seeking a ticket from the Ateli Assembly seat, which has been allotted to Union Minister Rao Inderjit Singh's daughter Aarti Singh Rao in the second list of 21 candidates released by the BJP on Tuesday.

In a letter sent to the president of the BJP in Haryana, Ms Yadav wrote in Hindi that her dedication to the party had been unwavering and she had followed its principles and policies in every situation.

"But, with great sorrow, I have to say that the party is neglecting those people who struggled for it at the grassroots level, worked with devotion and made a significant contribution in strengthening the party. Such dedicated workers are being sidelined and priority is being given to those persons who neither worked for the party nor for the citizens of their assembly constituency. This situation is very unfortunate and it is spreading disappointment and dissatisfaction among the party workers," she wrote.

Ms Yadav's resignation from all party posts comes two days after a fellow vice president of the Haryana BJP, GL Sharma joined the Congress with more than 250 BJP workers on Sunday.

On Saturday, former Haryana minister Bachan Singh Arya had resigned from the BJP after the party decided to field Jannayak Janta Party rebel Ram Kumar Gautam, who had joined the party earlier this month, from the Safidon Assembly constituency.

High-Profile Exits

Mr Arya's resignation followed the exit of two Haryana ministers - Energy Minister Ranjit Singh Chautala and Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Social Justice Bishamber Singh Valmiki - and MLA Lakshman Napa, who were denied tickets. Key OBC leader Karan Dev Kamboj also resigned from all posts in the BJP for the same reason.

The loss of Mr Chautala, 79, can hurt the party as he is the son of Chaudhary Devi Lal, one of Haryana's tallest leaders, who served as chief minister twice and was also a deputy prime minister.

Like Ms Yadav, some of the leaders had claimed that loyalists were not being valued by the BJP.

"Perhaps the BJP does not need loyalists anymore," Mr Kamboj had said, adding that the party was rewarding leaders who had joined it recently while ignoring those who had served it for years.

'Lotus Can Be Given Only To 1 Person'

Amid the rebellion, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini had said last week that speculation over changing candidates should end as there was no scope for doing so. "Everyone wants a ticket, but the 'lotus' (BJP's symbol) can be given to only one person... It is natural for ticket-seekers to get angry. But they will be persuaded," he said.

Voting for all 90 seats in Haryana will take place on October 5 and counting will be held on October 8. The BJP is hoping to retain its hold on power in the Hindi heartland state, which it has ruled since 2014, but is facing a challenge from a resurgent Congress.

With its two lists, the BJP has declared the names of 88 candidates so far, including Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini from the Ladwa constituency.