Opinion | Haryana: BJP Tries To Retain Lead, While Congress Tackles Infighting

Unlike 2019 and 2014, the Lok Sabha election in Haryana is shaping up to be a more open-ended contest this time. Manohar Lal Khattar, 69, who vacated the chief minister's chair in March this year, will still be contesting from his home turf, Karnal. But the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has chosen to bank on the consolidation of OBC votes under Nayab Singh Saini, the current chief minister and the party's new face in Haryana.

Khattar's resignation was seen as a way of checking anti-incumbency ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. Of course, Prime Minister Narendra Modi continues to enjoy tremendous goodwill in the state, but chances are that the 'Modi factor' alone may not be enough for the party this time. Notably, three independents withdrew their support to the Saini government yesterday and have now switched to the Congress. 

But the Congress has its own challenges. It finalised its list of Haryana candidates last week with the appointment of Raj Babbar as its nominee from Gurgaon. But the announcement has only exacerbated the fissures in the party's ranks. The Bhupinder Singh Hooda camp seems to have gotten its way in terms of the selection of candidates, while the other faction - comprising Selja Kumari, Randeep Singh Surjewala and Kiran Choudhry - has been left seething.