Will only allow loyal party workers to become candidates: Rao Inderjit Singh

Gurugram: Addressing the public meeting on Tuesday, Gururgam BJP MP Rao Inderjit Singh said that he will ensure that it is only the party workers that get the tickets and not those people who have recently joined the saffron party. The statement by the five-time MP comes at a time when a large number of party workers including the new entrants have begun projecting themselves as the BJP candidates from Gurugram.

Incumbent MLA Umesh Aggarwal has been in the news for the wrong reasons and therefore the party might not give him a second chance. He however is believed to be close to Rao Inderjit Singh and is often seen with him in the past in various public meetings.

It might not be an easy call for the BJP to decide on the new face as many senior leaders are pushing for their candidates and have already shared the credentials with the high command.

In April 2017, Haryana Police had booked Aggarwal's brother and his associates in a cheating case in Sonipat. At that time, Aggarwal had alleged that the case was an act of vendetta politics by CM Manohar Lal Khattar. It was a major blow for Aggarwal after his relative lost from the ward-9 in the 2017 municipal elections.

Co-incidentally, in 2014 Umesh Aggarwal who is the incumbent MLA won the Gurugram seat with the highest margin.

One of the aspirants for the seat, secretary of BJP's district unit Naveen Goyal, said he has been working for the development of Gurugram, especially for making the city cleaner and greener. "I have already shared my credentials with senior leaders and if given an opportunity, I would implement people-friendly policies of the government."

Most of the supporters have also begun to paste the posters of their local leaders on autos and billboards. I am doing so a strong influence is being created not only on the local voters but also on the party high command in selecting them as the candidate from Gurugram

Sudhir Singla, the son of former minister and RSS veteran Sitaram Singla, is also among the front runners for the ticket. Senior Singla, who passed away earlier this year, had a good relationship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the CM and "therefore junior Singla may be considered by the party for the Gurugram seat."