BJP MLA Lakshman Dass Napa Resigns After Ticket Denial for Haryana Polls

Lakshman Dass Napa, a BJP legislator from Ratia reserve assembly constituency, has resigned from the party after being denied a ticket for the October 5 Haryana Assembly polls. The BJP has fielded former Sirsa MP Sunita Duggal from Ratia. The party released its first list of 67 candidates, with Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini standing from the Ladwa seat. The BJP aims for a third term but faces strong competition from the Congress.

Denied a ticket for the October 5 Haryana Assembly polls, BJP legislator from Ratia reserve assembly constituency, Lakshman Dass Napa, has quit the party.

In a letter addressed to state party chief Mohan Lal Badoli, Napa announced his resignation from the party and its primary membership shortly after the BJP released its first list of 67 candidates for the upcoming elections.

From Ratia, the BJP has fielded former Sirsa MP Sunita Duggal. In a surprise move during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Duggal was denied re-nomination, and former Haryana Congress chief Ashok Tanwar, who had joined BJP, was chosen instead but lost to Congress's Kumari Selja.

The BJP's initial list also features Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, the sitting MLA from Karnal, who is now shifted to the Ladwa seat, along with several new entrants who have been rewarded with tickets. Aiming for a third consecutive term, the BJP faces a tough challenge from a reinvigorated Congress banking on the anti-incumbency sentiment. Vote counting will be held on October 8.

(With inputs from agencies.)