MOS (INDEPENDENT CHARGE)

OM PRAKASH YADAV

Om Prakash Yadav, 63, who has won from Narnaul (district Mahendergarh) seat on BJP ticket for the second time in a row, has been a staunch BJP worker. He too is said to be close to Union minister Rao Inderjit Singh. Like Dr Banwari Lal, he too represents South Haryana as a minister of state in the BJP-JJP coalition government.

ANOOP DHANAK

Anoop Dhanak, 46, represents Uklana assembly constituency and won for the second time in a row on a Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) ticket. Anoop, a graduate, was earlier with the Indian National Lok Dal and held some posts too prior to siding with JJP after the crippling split in the INLD subsequent to which JJP was formed. He is among four MLAs who sided with JJP since the day one.

KAMLESH DHANDA

Kamlesh Dhanda, 52, is a first-time MLA from Kalayat seat and has been sworn as a minister of state in the government. Wife of former minister Late Narsingh Dhanda, who was two-time MLA from erstwhile Pai seat on Janata Dal ticket, Kamlesh, is a member of the BJP state executive committee. Narsingh, however, joined BJP in 2001 and also unsuccessfully fought twice on BJP ticket from Pai and later Kalayat.

SANDEEP SINGH

Sandeep Singh, 33, a first-time BJP MLA from Pehowa, is former captain of the Indian hockey team and the first Olympian from Haryana to enter the state assembly as the two other Olympians - wrestlers Yogeshwar Dutt and Babita Phogat – had lost in their maiden polls. Singh defeated ex-cabinet minister and four-time Congress MLA Harmohinder Singh’s son Mandeep Chattha. This is BJP’s first win from the Pehowa seat after 1967.