Ex-Minister Bachan Singh Arya resigns from BJP; to contest Haryana polls as independent

New Delhi [India], September 7 (ANI): In a setback for the Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of the Haryana Assembly Elections, former state minister Bachan Singh Arya resigned from the party on Saturday.
The development comes after the party denied ticket to Arya and fielded Ramkumar Gautam from Safidon in its first list of the candidates for the Haryana Polls.
Arya has resigned from the primary membership and state executive of BJP, per the resignation letter submitted to the party.
Bachan Singh Arya has decided to fight as an independent candidate.
"I have said this earlier too. Today, public told me to leave it (the party), you saw that it was a crowd of 10,000 people...I had joined BJP when they (public) had told me. People were not satisfied with their work, Jind was not suited to their workstyle...People of the constituency have ignored BJP...I am contesting on the ticket of the public, they offered me and I accepted it because it is they who have to vote...Those who have come from outside have never won," Arya told ANI.
The BJP released its first list of 67 candidates on Wednesday for the 90-member assembly.
According to the list, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini will contest from the Ladwa constituency.
Earlier, Haryana Minister and BJP leader Ranjit Singh Chautala on Thursday resigned from the Cabinet after being denied a ticket by the party for the upcoming assembly polls.
Ranjit Chautala, brother of former Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala, has decided to fight as an independent candidate from the Rania seat.
"I will contest as an independent candidate from the Rania Assembly constituency. It is the decision of the people of my constituency. I have resigned from the minister's post. After I did not get the ticket, I took this decision," he told ANI.
The BJP has fielded Shishpal Kamboj from Rania seat in its first list of candidates.
Other prominent leaders in the first list are Gian Chand Gupta, Kanwar Pal Gurjar, Sunita Duggal, Bhavya Bishnoi, and Tejpal Tanwar. Gian Chand Gupta will contest from Panchkula, Kanwar Pal Gurjar from Jagadhri, Sunita Duggal from Ratia, Bhavya Bishnoi from Adampur, and Tejpal Tanwar from Sohna.
Following the distribution of tickets, former Haryana Minister Karan Dev Kamboj, who held the post of state BJP OBC Morcha chief, announced his resignation from all the posts of the Bharatiya Janata Party and said there has been injustice with workers in the distribution of tickets.
Voting for assembly polls in Haryana will be held on October 5 and votes will be counted on October 8. Jammu and Kashmir will go the polls on September 18, 25 and October 1 and votes will also be counted on October 8. (ANI)