Babita Phogat Amongst BJP's Nine Women Candidates For Haryana

After much anticipation, the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) has declared its first set of candidates for the upcoming Haryana assembly elections.  The list of 78 candidates features nine women (11 percent) candidates from the party. The list comprises of a mixed bag of women candidates including at least five experienced MLAs and four political greenhorns. There are two women candidates who belong to the Dalit community - Santosh Danoda from Narwana (SC) and Asha Khedar from Uklana (SC). While Danoda contested from the same seat in 2014 as well but lost the constituency to Pirthi Singh of Indian National Lok Dal, Khedar is contesting for the first time.

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One of the major highlights of the elections is that well-known pugilist Babita Singh has also got a MLA ticket to fight from Dadri constituency of Haryana. Singh, who is a sub-inspector with the Haryana Police, along with her father Mahavir Singh Phogat, joined the ruling BJP ahead of polls this year. Babita, 29, is a three-time Commonwealth gold and silver medallist. BJP is pinning on her success post Bollywood Blockbuster, Dangal, and her shining wrestling career.

Apart from these, Latika Sharma, who is a sitting-MLA from Kalka has again been fielded from the same constituency. She won by 19,029 votes after defeating Pardeep Chaudhary of the INLD - sitting MLA in 2014. Sharma was the first-time legislator, who is also a lawyer in Panchkula courts before her poll debut. Similarly, Kavita Jain has been a two-time MLA from Sonepat already in 2009 and 2014 and she has been fielded from the same seat for the third time in a row. Apart from being a veteran legislator, she was sworn in as Cabinet Minister in the Government of Haryana in 2014.

One of the major highlights of the elections is that well-known pugilist Babita Singh has also got a MLA ticket to fight from Dadri constituency of Haryana. Singh, who is a sub-inspector with the Haryana police, along with her father Mahavir Singh Phogat, joined the ruling BJP ahead of polls this year.

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As for Premlata Singh, she is a dynast and belongs to one of the major political families of Haryana and assumed the position of MLA from Chana Kalan for the first time in 2014 and she is now contesting again from the same seat. Singh is wife of Birendra Singh who served as the Union Minister of Steel in the Narendra Modi led NDA Government from July 2016 to April 2019. Her son Brijendra Singh was elected as Member of Parliament from Hisar in Lok Sabha elections 2019.

Seema Tirkha is also a sitting MLA from Faridabad's Badhkal assembly constituency in Haryana. She is contesting again from the same constituency. Among the other political greenhorns fielded by the party apart from Babita and Asha are Kamlesh Dhanda from Kalayat and Nouksham Choudhary from Panahana. Dhanda has been a member of BJP for several years now as her late husband Narsingh Dhanda has served as the ex-union minister. However, Choudhary is a fairly new name in the candidate list.