The BJP has released its first list of candidates for the Haryana polls. Incumbent CM Manohar Lal Khattar is fielded from Karnal.
Bengaluru: Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has been fielded again from Karnal as the BJP announced on Monday names of its 78 candidates for October 21 polls to the state assembly.
The party has given tickets to a number of noted sportspersons who had joined it in recent weeks with wrestler Babita Phogat, former Indian hockey captain Sandeep Singh, Olympic medallist Yogeshwar Dutt contesting from Dadri, Pehowa and Baroda respectively.
National general secretary Arun Singh said the party's central election committee, which had met on Sunday, has repeated 38 MLAs and dropped seven of them for the polls to the 90-member assembly.
Khattar had won from Karnal seat in 2014.
Haryana BJP president Subhash Barala will contest from Tohana, Captain Abhimanyu from Narnod and Om Prakash Dhankar from Badli, Singh said.
Former Union minister and Jat leader Birender Singh's MLA wife will contest from Uchana Kalan, a seat she had won in 2014.
The candidates include nine women and two Muslims.
Haryana has 90 assembly seats and will go to polls on October 21. The results will be announced on October 24.
The release comes a day after conducting the Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting.
The BJP convened its CEC meeting on Sunday where candidates for Maharashtra and Haryana assembly elections were finalised.
The meeting was chaired by BJP president and Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with working president JP Nadda were also in attendance.
The CEC was delayed as the Prime Minister was away in the United States for more than a week and returned on Saturday evening.
In the 2014 elections, it was the BJP which romped home to victory with a total of 47 seats, the magic number being 46.
Along with Haryana, Maharashtra, having 288 seats, too will go to polls on the same day.
(With inputs from PTI)
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