Haryana Election: BJP 2nd List Of Candidates Out, Capt Yogesh Bairagi To Go Up Against Vinesh Phogat

The BJP's second list of candidates for Haryana includes 21 names, including two Muslims. The party has nominated Captain Yogesh Bairagi against Congress's Vinesh Phogat.

Haryana BJP Candidate list: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today unveiled its second list of candidates for the upcoming Haryana Assembly elections, announcing 21 additional names. The list features two Muslim candidates -- Naseem Ahmed from Ferozepur Jhirka and Aizaz Khan from Punahana. The BJP has pitted Captain Yogesh Bairagi against the Congress's Olympian candidate Vinesh Phogat. With the second list, the party has declared a total of 87 candidates for the 90-member assembly.

Haryana Election: BJP Fields Turncoats In Second List

The BJP's second list also features political turncoats who have recently switched allegiance to the saffron party. Devender Singh Babli, formerly of the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), will now contest from Tohana, while Shruti Choudhry, a new entrant and granddaughter of former Haryana Chief Minister Bansi Lal, has been allocated the Tosham seat. Moreover, Aarti Singh Rao, daughter of Union Minister Rao Inderjit Singh, will contest from Ateli, along with several other loyalists of the Union Minister, further solidifying the BJP's presence in southern Haryana.

In its first list, which comprised 67 candidates, the BJP fielded Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini from the Ladwa seat, shifting him from his current constituency of Karnal, which he won in a bypoll in June this year. Saini, who served as a Member of Parliament from Kurukshetra between 2019 and 2024, will now be contesting the assembly elections from Ladwa.

Prominent leaders in the first list include Om Prakash Dhankar, a former state BJP president who now serves as a national secretary in the party. Dhankar has been fielded from the Badli constituency. Additionally, Anil Vij, a veteran party leader and former Haryana Home Minister, will contest from his traditional stronghold of Ambala Cantonment, a seat he has won three times consecutively since 2009.

With the Haryana Assembly elections scheduled for October 5, the BJP is aiming for a third consecutive victory in the state. However, the ruling party is expected to face stiff competition from a resurgent Congress. The counting of votes is slated for October 8.