Haryana Assembly elections 2024 | CM Saini to contest from Ladwa in Kurukshetra district, says BJP state chief

Chandigarh: Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini will contest the Haryana Assembly elections from Ladwa in Kurukshetra district, the BJP's state unit president Mohan Lal Badoli said on Friday.

The ruling BJP is expected to release its first list of candidates for the October 1 polls by Sunday.

Badoli -- when asked from where the chief minister would contest the elections -- said, "CM sahab Ladwa se chunav ladenge (The CM will contest from Ladwa)." Saini, who represents the Karnal seat in the Haryana Assembly, was the MP from Kurukshetra between 2019 and 2024.

Speaking to reporters in Delhi, Badoli did not divulge if Saini would also contest from Karnal.

The Ladwa assembly seat is currently held by the Congress' Mewa Singh.

The BJP's Central Election Committee (CEC) met in the national capital on Thursday to finalise the party's candidates for the polls in Haryana, where the saffron party is eyeing a third consecutive term.

Badoli, the MLA from Rai in Sonipat, also said that he would not contest the elections.

After another round of meetings, the first list of candidates is expected to be out soon, he said.

He also said there had been no discussions regarding an alliance and asserted that the BJP would form the government with a clear majority.

During the CEC meeting, discussions were held on the names of candidates for all seats, Badoli -- who took over as BJP chief in Haryana in July -- said and added another meeting would take place after two days.

Some candidates will be declared in the first list, he said.

In March, the BJP replaced Manohar Lal Khattar as Haryana chief minister with Saini, an OBC leader. Khattar, who won the parliamentary elections from Karnal, is now a Union minister.

At the time he replaced Khattar, Saini was the BJP's Haryana chief and the party's Kurukshetra MP. He won the bypoll from the Karnal assembly seat vacated by Khattar.

Saini had won the assembly polls from the Naraingarh seat in Ambala district when BJP stormed to power in 2014.

Elections to the 90-member Haryana Assembly will be held in a single phase on October 1 and the results declared on October 4.