After rebellious posturing Rao Narbir Singh back in Haryana BJP fold

Rao had earlier stated that the Congress would give him a ticket for the assembly polls if the BJP denies him one. He had also stated that he would contest the elections from the Congress if the BJP doesn’t give him a ticket. The BJP has been facing a problem of plenty from the Badshahpur assembly constituency. Keen to contest from this seat, Rao Narbir Singh, former officer on special duty (OSD) to the party’s ex-chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, Jawahar Yadav, and the party’s district president, Kamal Yadav, have thrown their hat in the ring.

Keeping his options open, a few days ago Rao Narbir Singh had said: “I was certain last time too that I would get a ticket but at the eleventh hour my ticket was denied. Still, I remained with the party (BJP). This time, I can’t say whether the party would give me a ticket or not. I can only say that I would contest the election…Another party (Congress) is ready to give the ticket.”

He had also stated: “I have done the work. Today, the BJP, the Congress, and Gurgaon have a need for Narbir Singh.” On his part, Jawahar Yadav had reacted by posting a comment on X: “We lost the Badshahpur Assembly seat in 2019, but the BJP would win 100% in 2024.” It is not only Dushyant Chautala’s JJP that is facing mass rebellion but the Congress and the BJP are also sailing in the same boat ahead of the upcoming polls. Failure by the parties to pacify the rebels and keep them on board is one of the reasons why both the BJP and the Congress have not yet been able to announce their candidates.

While seven former legislators from the JJP have quit so far, a former BJP leader from Sirsa, Gokul Setia, on Tuesday joined the Congress in the presence of former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

Gokul Setia is the grandson of five-time former MLA from Sirsa and former minister, Lachhman Das Arora. Arora was a well-known leader of the Congress from the Punjabi community who passed away in June 2012. Later, the family had joined the BJP which fielded Arora’s daughter Sunita Setia from Sirsa for 2014 assembly polls but she lost the battle. In 2019, Gokul Setia (Sunita’s son) turned rebel and contested the election from Sirsa as an Independent after the BJP denied him a ticket. However, Gokul Setia lost the contest to Haryana Lokhit Party’s Gopal Kanda by a margin of just 602 votes.

In Rania, the BJP’s minister and also Lok Sabha nominee from Hisar, Ranjit Singh Chautala, had earlier warned the ruling party not to dare to ignore his nomination from the same seat that he won in 2019 as an Independent.
The principal Opposition Congress is facing a problem of plenty from Tohana assembly constituency and the main contestants are lobbying against each other. Former minister Paramvir Singh, his brother Randhir Singh, a khap leader Sube Singh Samain and former JJP MLA Sardar Nishan Singh, who joined the party in April, are said to be eyeing the seat.

Earlier, on Monday, JJP rebel Devender Babli, who could not get a ticket promise from the Congress, joined the BJP.
With most former JJP MLAs in the BJP or the Congress, the party has now been reduced to three MLAs – Dushyant (Uchana Kalan), his mother Naina Chautala (Badhra) and Amarjeet Singh Dhanda (Julana).