Last Updated:
From Haryana BJP president Mohan Lal Badoli, former Karnal MP Sanjay Bhatia, former Sirsa MP Sunita Duggal, to former Haryana BJP chief OP Dhankar, and Kuldeep Bishnoi, the race is heating up for a seat to the Upper House
While past performance and discipline will also be considered by the party leadership, everything will eventually boil down to caste calculations. (PTI)
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is in search of a Rajya Sabha candidate — a not-Jat to be more specific if BJP sources are to be believed — for the only upcoming Rajya Sabha seat that is up for grabs in Haryana since Krishan Lal Panwar resigned from the Upper House and the seat fell vacant. Panwar’s term as Rajya Sabha MP was due till August 1, 2028, which necessitates the election on December 20.
“The equation for a Non-Jat leader is clear. In August, Kiran Choudhry, after she joined BJP, was sent to the Upper House from Haryana. She won unopposed and the messaging reaped political benefits, with her daughter winning an assembly seat for BJP. But now, it’s time to balance the caste equation,” a senior BJP leader, who is among the three credited for the Haryana win, told News18.
The same leader told News18 that past performance and discipline will also be considered by the party leadership. But, everything will eventually boil down to caste calculations.
The man who is leading the race represents the Brahmin community — which often complains of being neglected because it does not carry heft like the Jats or Yadavs. Though Brahmins constitute just 7.5 per cent of Haryana, they vote en bloc for BJP despite some issues here and there.
If Haryana BJP president Mohan Lal Badoli gets the ticket to the Upper House, much of the right messaging will be done as it was done in August towards Jats when Choudhry was picked. As everyone was scrambling for tickets during the Haryana election, Badoli’s decision to run the show seemed to have impressed the leadership.
Former Karnal MP Sanjay Bhatia is also contending for the berth. Bhatia belongs to the Punjabi community, just like Manohar Lal Khattar. In fact, he gave up his seat for Khattar to fight after the former chief minister had to switch from state politics to the Centre. Hence, Khattar may go the extra mile to pay back Bhatia’s debt. Punjabis constitute 8 per cent of Haryana’s population but significantly influence its politics.
If the BJP thinks playing a backward caste card will help them in the larger scheme of things, they may put their money on former Sirsa MP Sunita Duggal. She is a prominent Scheduled Caste leader. Dalits constitute 21 per cent of Haryana’s population.
Another contender in the race is former Haryana BJP chief OP Dhankar. However, Dhankar’s chances look slim, given he is a Jat and the BJP doesn’t want to send a wrong signal by consecutively sending two Jat leaders from the state to Rajya Sabha, irking the non-Jats. Moreover, Dhankar lost from Badli for the second consecutive time and is seen as a non-performer. So, he doesn’t fit on the merit or caste angle of the BJP.
Now, if one would go beyond Duggal’s caste, there is little merit in her candidature as well. Duggal lost from Ratia seat in assembly polls, showcasing a poor political performance.
Meanwhile, politically irrelevant Kuldeep Bishnoi, from the Bishnoi community, has gone all out to lobby for his case. He is the son of late chief minister Bhajan Lal and a former Member of Parliament who has called upon Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP chief JP Nadda to secure the Upper House seat that he has been eyeing since August but which ultimately went to Choudhry.
Bishnoi’s political weakness, caste insignificance and, most importantly, him snubbing BJP after not getting a Rajya Sabha ticket hasn’t gone down well with the party. BJP insiders cite an incident of November 25 in Hisar when Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini was in the area for a BJP event but both Bishnoi and his son stayed away from the event — an act that didn’t go unnoticed by the top brass.
