As PM kicks off rallies today, why Haryana is crucial for BJP to win

Admitting that “the stakes are really high”, a senior party leader pointed out that with Haryana under its control, the BJP could fend off some of the heat from the farmer protests. A loss in Haryana would mean another state going to the Opposition after Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Delhi where the protests have got the most traction, with the BJP suffering a setback in another such state – Uttar Pradesh – recently in the Lok Sabha polls.

“The protesters from Punjab and Haryana could be stopped at the borders before entering the national capital. At the peak of the farmer agitation, Haryana, having a BJP government, could stop it from becoming a national protest. The consequence of losing Haryana means these types of Opposition-mobilised protests and agitations can arrive at Delhi without any checks,” the leader said.

Another aspect of losing Haryana is Gurgaon, which along with Noida in UP is the fastest-developing region for investments and real estate in North India. The other two such hubs, Hyderabad and Bengaluru, are already in Congress-ruled states.

“If Gurugram also goes to the Opposition, it essentially means that almost all the fast-growing metros will be with the Opposition,” said the leader.

More than hurting the BJP’s kitty, it may mean a substantial addition to the Congress’s, with the Opposition party hamstrung by a severe lack of resources since it lost power one by one across states and the Centre.

What also makes Haryana crucial is that next up is Maharashtra, hosting the commercial capital Mumbai, where the BJP is also facing a tough fight from the Opposition.

Some leaders in the party are raising questions over how the candidate lists were handled, particularly given that this was identified as a prime factor in the setback to the BJP in crucial UP in the Lok Sabha polls.

The BJP’s core team for Haryana includes Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan, election in-charge Biplab Kumar Deb and co-in charge Satish Poonia. While Deb, former Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar, CM Nayab Singh Saini, state BJP chief Mohan Lal Badoli and Haryana organisation in-charge Faninder Nath Sharma played a crucial role in candidate selection apart from deciding poll strategy, a source in Haryana noted that the final call was taken by Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national president J P Nadda.

However, sources added, the rebellions did not mean that the candidate selection was flawed. “Unprecedented caution” had been shown in the exercise, a leader said, including accommodating the interests of all significant leaders and addressing their concerns.

No popular or mass leader had been “ignored”, sources pointed out, giving the example of, among others, senior leader and Lok Sabha MP Krishan Pal Gujjar. If he could not get a ticket for his son, at least five of his supporters figure in the list, a source said. Similarly, Union minister of state Rao Inderjit Singh, who has been making noises about wanting to be CM, has got a ticket for his daughter Aarti Singh Rao from Ateli, apart from nine supporters in other seats.

A leader said that almost a dozen candidates carry Khattar’s stamp, five are in on Saini’s recommendations, Bhiwani-Mahendragarh MP Dharambir Singh has got two of his supporters inducted, while ex-MP Sunita Duggal will now fight on the party’s behalf from Ratia.