On Sunday, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) expelled former Haryana minister Ranjit Singh Chautala and seven other leaders for a period of six years after they opted to contest the upcoming state Assembly elections as independent candidates. The decision was announced by Haryana BJP chief Mohan Lal Badoli.
The expelled leaders include:
- Ranjit Singh Chautala
- Sandeep Garg (contesting from Ladwa)
- Zile Ram Sharma (Assandh)
- Devender Kadian (Ganaur)
- Bachan Singh Arya (Safidon)
- Radha Ahlawat (Meham)
- Naveen Goel (Gurugram)
- Kehar Singh Rawat (Hathin)
Chautala’s decision to leave the party followed the denial of a poll ticket for the Rania seat, which he previously represented as an independent MLA. He had resigned from the Assembly before joining the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha elections earlier this year, in which he contested unsuccessfully from Hisar.
The Haryana Assembly, consisting of 90 members, is set to hold elections on October 5, with vote counting scheduled for October 8. The BJP aims to secure a third consecutive term in the state.
In a related development, the Haryana Congress expelled 13 leaders on Friday for “anti-party activities” after they too decided to run as independents. Both major parties have faced discontent among their ranks regarding the allocation of election tickets but have managed to address most grievances.
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