Haryana: Ex-Dy PM Devi Lal's grandson crosses over to INLD from BJP, gets poll ticket
Chandigarh, Sep 8: BJP leader Aditya Devi Lal, the grandson of former deputy prime minister Devi Lal, joined the Indian National Lok Dal on Sunday and was fielded from Dabwali for the October 5 Assembly polls in Haryana.
The 46-year-old leader joined the INLD at a rally of the party in Chautala village in Sirsa district in the presence of the party's senior leader Abhay Singh Chautala.
Aditya Devi Lal quit as Haryana Marketing Board chairman recently. With him joining the INLD, the BJP lost its prominent face in Sirsa district less than a month ahead of the polls amid the rebel trouble for the ruling party in the state.
He is the second from the Devi Lal clan to quit the BJP within a week. A few days ago, the state's Energy and Jails Minister Ranjit Chautala (79), a son of Devi Lal, also left the ruling party.
Before joining the INLD, Aditya took the blessings of his uncle and former chief minister Om Prakash Chautala at the latter's residence.
Addressing the rally, Aditya Devi Lal said he has always stood for the people and will continue to do so.
Abhay Singh Chautala, who is also Devi Lal's grandson and former chief minister O P Chautala's son, said Aditya always dedicated himself to people's welfare and raised issues of public interest.
Taking a dig at the BJP, Abhay Chautala termed its leaders "opportunists" and accused them of using people for their own benefit.
He asserted that INLD's win in the Dabwali assembly seat has become certain with Aditya's candidature from the seat and exuded confidence that the party would sweep other seats in the Sirsa district.
The INLD is contesting the Haryana assembly polls in alliance with Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) with the Mayawati-led party contesting on 37 out of 90 Assembly seats, leaving the rest for its senior partner.
Abhay Singh Chautala is seeking re-election from the Ellenabad seat in Sirsa district while his son Arjun Chautala has been fielded by INLD from the Rania segment in the district.
While with the BJP, Aditya had lost the 2019 assembly polls from Dabwali in Sirsa district to Congress' Amit Sihag.
Sihag has been renominated by his party from the seat.
Both the BJP and Congress faced rebel trouble after they came out with their first list of candidates for next month's polls. Most of those who quit were ticket hopefuls but did not find their name mentioned in the list.
Apart from Ranjit Singh Chautala and Aditya Devi Lal, prominent figures who quit the BJP include sitting MLA Lakshman Dass Napa, ex-minister Bachan Singh Arya, and former Kalanwali MLA Balkaur Singh who joined the Congress.
The Congress too faced rebellion within the party after it announced its first list of 32 candidates. Rajesh Joon quit the party after his whose candidature from the Bahadurgarh assembly segment was ignored and announced to fight as an Independent.
From Baroda in Sonipat, Congress leader Kapoor Singh Narwal raised a banner of revolt, after the party re-nominated sitting MLA Induraj Narwal from the segment. "I have been let down," he said.
Polling for the 90-member Haryana Assembly will be held on October 5. Votes will be counted on October 8.
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UP: BJP MLA falls on rail track while flagging off Vande Bharat train
Etawah (UP), Sep 16: BJP's Etawah MLA Sarita Bhadauriya fell onto the railway tracks while vying to wave the green flag for the Agra-Varanasi Vande Bharat Express here on Monday.
Purported videos of the incident surfaced on social media.
The incident occurred amidst a crowded platform as the train arrived around 6 pm. The 61-year-old second-term BJP lawmaker was among a host of people holding the green flag as they stood at the platform, the video showed.
Following the virtual inauguration of the Vande Bharat train by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the train, numbered 20175, was flagged off by the Rail Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu from Agra.
When contacted by PTI, BJP's Etawah unit treasurer Sanjeev Bhadauriya said, "The MLA was helped off the track and she then waited for some time at the platform for the flag-off event."
"Later she consulted doctors and is resting at her home now. She did not suffer any visible physical injuries. If there is any internal injury, it is yet to be confirmed," Bhadauriya said.
The train made stops at Tundla before arriving at Etawah station. Upon its arrival, a commotion ensued on the platform as various political figures, including Samajwadi Party MP Jitendra Douwhare, former BJP MP Ram Shankar, and current MLA Sarita Bhadauriya, gathered to participate in the flag-off, the videos showed.
As the train's horn signalled its departure, the platform became chaotic with supporters jostling for position. In the ensuing melee, the MLA was pushed off the platform and she fell onto the railway tracks in front of the train, it showed.
The train was stopped in time by bystanders, preventing a major accident. Bhadauriya was quickly rescued from the tracks by the police and taken to the hospital, according to eyewitnesses.
Talking about the operation date for the Vande Bharat Express, PRO Prashasti Srivastava from the Agra division of the railways said that the date will be announced soon.
The train will cover the distance between Agra and Varanasi in approximately seven hours. The return train will operate as number 20176 from Varanasi to Agra, while the Agra-Varanasi service will be number 20175.
Etawah, UP: The flag-off ceremony for the Agra-Varanasi Vande Bharat Express faced chaos due to heavy rush, and BJP's Etawah Sadar MLA, Sarita Bhadoria, fell in front of the train pic.twitter.com/p10CfbDIF0
— IANS (@ians_india) September 16, 2024
