With the declaration of Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)’s nominees for Bhiwani-Mahendragarh lok Sabha seat, now all eyes are focused on the Indian National lokdal (INlD) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which are weighing all options before announcing their candidates.
While the BJP is likely to finalise its candidate for the seat on March 13, the INlD is waiting for the BJP candidate following the caste equation which is the key element in the electoral arena of this constituency that covers Bhiwani and Mahendragarh districts.
Jat and Ahir are the two prominent castes here which decide fortune of the candidates hence both the BJP and the INlD are eying on each other's candidates to open their cards. Jats are dominating in Bhiwani whereas Mahendragarh is the stronghold of Ahirs.
Sitting MP Shruti Choudhry is again in the poll fray on Congress ticket and AAP has fielded a social activist lalit Agarwal while names of former MP Sudha Yadav, former minister Rao Narbir Singh, national president of BJP Kisan Morcha Om Prakash Dhankhar and former Army Chief General VK Singh are being considered by the BJP for its ticket.
Sources in the party said VK Singh, whose native village Bopara falls in Bhiwani, has pulled himself away from the race and is exploring the possibility of getting ticket from any suitable place in Rajasthan.
Sudha Yadav had romped home victorious in her debut poll battle from Mahendragarh seat in 1999. Thereafter, she contested lok Sabha polls in 2004 from same seat and in 2009 polls from Gurgaon but failed to get the mandate both the times. She also unsuccessfully contested assembly poll from Gurgaon in 2009.
Sudha was initially vying for party ticket from Gurgaon but she had to shift to Bhiwani-Mahendragarh following the entry of Rao Inderjeet in BJP, who is likely to contest the poll from Gurgaon. Rao Narbir Singh, a former minister, had unsuccessfully contested the lok Sabha poll on the HJC ticket in 2009. Thereafter, he joined BJP in 2011.
Om Prakash Dhankhar, considered to be close to BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narender Modi, is also keen to contest the polls from Bhiwani-Mahendragarh seat in case he is denied the party ticket from Rohtak. Dhankhar, who lost the Assembly poll from Dadri (Bhiwani) in 2009, has been active in raising the farmers’s issues prominently at national level.
On the other hand, INlD legislator from NangalChaudhary, Rao Bahadur Singh, is the strong contender for the party ticket while the INlD high command is also contemplating over the name of wife of its senior leader Ajay Singh Chautala while keeping in view the caste factor.