HARYANA: BJP leader and former Haryana minister Bachan Singh Arya has resigned from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) just before the Haryana Assembly elections in 2024. Arya, who represented Safidon in Jind, announced his departure on Saturday, a day after the party released its first list of candidates for the upcoming elections, omitting his name.

The BJP's candidate list, unveiled on Wednesday, includes former JJP MLA Ramkumar Gautam for the Safidon seat. In his resignation letter, Arya gave up his primary membership and his position on the state working committee.

Arya, who narrowly lost the 2019 election by 3,000 votes, had been gearing up for the 2024 polls. Reports suggest he might join the Congress party soon.

Arya is not the first BJP leader to resign due to issues with candidate selection. Prior to Arya, several others left the party over similar concerns. Haryana Cabinet Minister Chaudhary Ranjit Singh Chautala resigned on September 5, unhappy with the party's decision to field Shishpal Kamboj from the Rania seat instead of him.

Lakshman Napa, the sitting MLA from Ratia, also resigned from the BJP's primary membership on September 6 after being denied a ticket for the October 5 Haryana Assembly polls. Napa informed state party chief Mohan Lal Badoli of his resignation in a letter.

Former BJP State Minister Karan Kamboj not only resigned from the party's primary membership following the release of the candidate list but also declared his intention to work against the party after being denied a chance to contest.

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