Haryana Assembly elections 2024: The Haryana BJP is grappling with internal discord and an unusual predicament as it prepares for the upcoming Assembly elections. The Mahendragarh seat has emerged as a focal point of interest due to an unexpected turn of events involving BJP leaders who jumped the gun by filing their nominations before the official candidate list was released.
Two prominent figures, Ram Bilas Sharma, a former MLA, and Kailash Chand, an RSS worker, filed their nominations for the Mahendragarh seat as BJP candidates well in advance. However, in a surprising move, neither of their names appeared on the BJP’s official list announced on Thursday. Instead, the party has chosen to field Kanwar Singh Yadav as its candidate for this crucial seat. The Mahendragarh seat is now set for an intriguing contest, reflective of the broader tensions within the party's state unit.
As September 12 being the last day to file nominations for the polls, all eyes are on Ram Bilas Sharma and Kailash Chand to see their next steps after being sidelined by the BJP in the Mahendragarh seat. Sources suggest that Sharma, a seasoned politician with five terms as an MLA, is likely to contest the upcoming elections as an Independent candidate. Meanwhile, Chand could be the backup candidate for the Bharatiya Janata Party.
The BJP's decision to deny a ticket to Ram Bilas Sharma is being viewed as a significant development within the party. Sharma, a prominent Brahmin leader and a key figure in the BJP, had served as a Minister in the Manohar Lal Khattar-led government from 2014 to 2019. Sharma also served as the BJP's Haryana unit president, however, lost his seat in the 2019 Assembly elections. Despite his stature, Sharma was not included in the candidate list, a move that has raised eyebrows and sparked discussions about the party's internal dynamics.
Ram Bilas Sharma's record in Haryana Assembly elections
1977: Ram Bilas Sharma, as a Janata Party (JNP) candidate, lost the Mahendragarh seat to Vishal Haryana Party's (VHP) Dali Singh by 2,158 votes. Singh received 25,091 votes (48.17%), while Sharma got 22,933 votes (44.02%).
1982: Ram Bilas Sharma won the Mahendragarh constituency for the first time as a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate by defeating Congress candidate Dalip Singh with a margin of 8,361 votes. Sharma received 34,096 votes (50.46%), while Singh got 25,735 votes (38.08%).
1987: Ram Bilas Sharma retained the Mahendragarh constituency after defeating Congress candidate Hari Singh with a handsome margin of 27,432 votes. Sharma received 44,481 votes (57.87%), while Singh got 17,049 votes (22.18%).
1991: Ram Bilas Sharma made a hattrick of wins from the Mahendragarh constituency by defeating Haryana Vikas Party (HVP) candidate Dalip Singh with a margin of 1,626 votes. Sharma received 18,039 votes (26.42%), while Singh got 16,413 votes (24.04%). Congress candidate Kuldeep Yadav stood third with 11,465 votes (16.79%).
1996: Ram Bilas Sharma again won the Mahendragarh seat in 1996 by defeating independent candidate Rao Dan Singh with a margin of 3,708 votes. Sharma received 19,015 votes (20.84%), while Dan Singh got 15,307 votes (16.77%). Congress candidate Ram Singh stood third with 12,564 votes (13.77%).
2000: Ram Bilas Sharma contested from two seats, Mahendragarh and Ballabhgarh, in the 2000 Haryana Assembly Elections but lost both. Sharma was defeated by Congress leader Rao Dan Singh in Mahendragarh by 38,850 votes. Singh received 68,472 votes (66.88%), while Sharma got 29,622 votes (28.93%). Independent candidate Rajinder Singh Bisla defeated Sharma by 8,072 votes in Ballabgarh. Bisla received 38,112 votes (38.16%), while Sharma got 30,040 votes (30.08%).
2005: Ram Bilas Sharma again lost to Congress candidate Rao Dan Singh by 20,649 votes in Mahendragarh. Singh received 59,128 votes, while Sharma got 38,479 votes.
2009: Ram Bilas Sharma lost to Congress leader Rao Dan Singh for a third consecutive time by 5,453 votes in Mahendragarh. Singh received 42,286 votes (37.77%), while Sharma got 36,833 votes (32.90%)
2014: Ram Bilas Sharma avenged his three back-to-back losses against Rao Dan Singh in 2014 when he defeated him with a big margin of 34,491 votes. Sharma received 83,724 votes (59.89%), while Singh got 49,233 votes (35.22%).
2019: Rao Dan Singh again defeated Ram Bilas Sharma in Mahendragarh by 10,220 votes. Singh received 46,478 votes (32.43%), while Sharma got 36,258 votes (25.30%).
Union Minister Rao Inderjit Singh backs Sharma
Meanwhile, Union Minister Rao Inderjit Singh has come in support of Sharma, saying he was the man who made the BJP visible on the ground in Haryana. "Either party gives a ticket or not, they have no right to humiliate senior leaders like Ram Bilas Sharma. When I was in Congress, the BJP in Haryana was known because of Ram Bilas. He became MLA from Mahendergarh five times, and this was not an easy task. How many people in the Haryana BJP have become MLAs five times? A campaign has been launched to tarnish his image," Rao added.
Haryana Assembly Elections 2024
The Election Commission of India (ECI) on August 31 revised the polling day for Haryana Assembly Elections from October 1 to October 5, this year as well as moved the counting of votes for both Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana assemblies from October 4 to October 8. The decision has been taken to honour both the voting rights and the traditions of the Bishnoi community, which has upheld a centuries-old practice of participating in the Asoj Amavasya festival celebration in remembrance of their Guru Jambheshwar as per the ECI.
