In Haryana, BJP not to field immediate kin of MLAS, MPS
NEWDELHI:THE Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has decided not to field the immediate relatives of sitting state legislators and parliamentarians from Haryana in next month’s assembly elections, a senior BJP leader said. Mayors of municipal corporations and chairpersons of zila parishads, too, will not get the party nomination to contest the polls.
The decision, taken at a meeting on Wednesday between party president Amit Shah and the Haryana BJP’S core group, is likely to come as a disappointment to at least six Haryana MPS who had been lobbying for their immediate relatives to be included on the party’s slate in the October 21 assembly polls. Chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Haryana BJP chief Subhash Barala were prominent among those who attended the meeting.
“This is a policy that BJP enforced in others states as well. Haryana will be no exception,” the senior leader cited in the first instance said on condition of anonymity.
Fielding an immediate relative of a sitting state legislator or a member of Parliament in an election tends to cause heartburn among other aspirants, said another BJP leader in Delhi, also requesting anonymity. “There is also a risk of a certain constituency becoming a fiefdom of a few people from the same family. BJP has been against the very idea of dynastic politics.”
Rajya Sabha MP Chaudhary Birender Singh could be an exception to this rule. Singh’s son Birjendra Singh successfully contested the Lok Sabha election from Hisar. Singh’s wife, Prem Lata, too, is a legislator from Uchana Kalan and is likely to be renominated.
Singh had quit the Union cabinet and offered to resign from the Rajya Sabha after his son was chosen by the BJP to contest the parliamentary election. He continues to be a member of RS.
Explaining the rationale behind denying the party nomination to heads of municipal bodies; the second BJP leader said the party was not in favour of the same person cornering electoral opportunities. “They were given a chance in municipal and panchayat election. Others should get chance in assembly election.” Bhopal:congress general secretary Jyotiraditya Scindia wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, urging him to issue instructions to release relief funds for flood-affected Madhya Pradesh at the earliest. He wrote there was a need for immediate assistance in this hour of crisis.
“I visited more than 10 excessive rains and flood-affected districts in Madhya Pradesh. Crops in the state have been almost completely destroyed. Roads have been damaged. There is a heavy loss of life and cattle died in a large number. There has been damage to infrastructure like schools, anganwadi, electricity poles, government offices, and buildings etc,” Scindia wrote in the letter.
“As many as 596 people have died due to excessive rains and flood ... The damage has been initially estimated at about ₹10,000 to ₹15,000 crore.”
“Since MP government has sent a proposal to the Centre for a relief fund of ₹10,000 crore, I humbly request you to issue instructions for release of the fund at the earliest.”