Nayab Singh Saini replaced Manohar Lal Khattar as the chief minister this year.
Looking to get the first-mover advantage in the Haryana Assembly polls, the BJP has released its first list of candidates, declaring names for 67 out of the state’s 90 constituencies. The list includes the names of Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, who will be contesting from the Ladwa constituency, and former minister Anil Vij.
Mr Vij will be the BJP’s candidate from the Ambala Cantonment constituency, a seat he has won three successive times since 2009.
Mr Saini, who was an MP from Kurukshetra until he replaced Manohar Lal Khattar as the Haryana chief minister in March this year, currently represents the Karnal Assembly seat, which he won in a bypoll in June.
The other candidates include Ambala Mayor and former Union Minister Vinod Sharma’s wife Shakti Rani Sharma, who will be contesting from the Kalka assembly constituency. Ms Sharma is the mother of Manu Sharma, a convict in the Jessica Lal murder case.
Shruti Choudhry who left the Congress and joined the BJP with her mother – Rajya Sabha MP Kiran Choudhry – in June has been given a ticket from Tosham. Three former legislators from the Jannayak Janata Party, which was the BJP’s ally until this year, have also been fielded. These are Devender Singh Babli from Tohana, Ram Kumar Gautam from Safidon and Anoop Dhanak from Uklana.
Some of the other inclusions are Deepak Hooda, who has been the captain of the Indian Kabaddi team, from Meham and Union Minister Om Prakash Dhankar, who will be contesting from Badli.
The list includes eight women, 13 leaders from the Scheduled Castes and nine from other backward communities (OBCs). The party has also dropped some MLAs, including some ministers.