Despite partner’s reservations,BJP relies on the old guard

INLD leaders had been openly saying that the BJP would not be able to put up a fight in Sonepat and Karnal,but the BJP has given tickets to Kishan Singh Sangwan from Sonepat and former union minister of state for home I D Swami from Karnal.

Though Sangwan was the only one from the BJP to have won a seat in the last Lok Sabha elections from the state,his chances are said to be dim,in view of his son’s defeat from Gohana in the Assembly bypoll.

Swami,meanwhile,is facing the ire of his own party workers,who did not like his “proximity” to the Chautalas at a time when the party is “at war” with the family for alleged discriminatory treatment of BJP leaders and workers.

Swami,however,seems to have cashed in on his relations with former home minister L K Advani,under whom he served as the minister of state.

Swami was faced with tough competition from state party chief Atam Prakash Manchanda,too,who wanted to contest from the same seat,Karnal.

Chautala wanted to give four seats to the BJP under the seat-sharing pact and wanted Sonepat seat for the INLD,banking on Jat votes of the area as his strength. But since Sangwan was the sole winner in the last elections,the party could not deny him a ticket.

The BJP is also trying hard to control infighting,which may hamper its prospects and weaken its candidates.

The BJP is yet to begin its campaign for this year,even as the Congress,INLD and Haryana Janhit Party have been on the campaign trail for quite some time now.