Haryana BJP may get new president soon, Krishan Pal Gurjar key contender

According to the BJP sources, Gurjar appears to be the party's choice for the next state unit chief, though names of other senior leaders and former Haryana ministers O P Dhankar and Capt Abhimanyu were also considered for the post. Kurukshetra MP Nayab Saini, Hisar MLA Kamal Gupta and state unit general secretary Sandeep Joshi, were also among those considered for the state unit chief’s post, they said.

Haryana unit of BJP is set to get its new chief soon, with Union minister Krishan Pal Gurjar emerging as the key contender for the post, party sources said on Wednesday. Gurjar, Member of Parliament representing the Faridabad constituency, is currently the Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment.

The term of current president and former MLA Subhash Barala has already ended and the party is expected to announce its next chief of Haryana soon. According to the BJP sources, Gurjar appears to be the party's choice for the next state unit chief, though names of other senior leaders and former Haryana ministers O P Dhankar and Capt Abhimanyu were also considered for the post.

Kurukshetra MP Nayab Saini, Hisar MLA Kamal Gupta and state unit general secretary Sandeep Joshi, were also among those considered for the state unit chief’s post, they said. Gurjar had previously served as the Haryana BJP chief from 2009 to 2013 and played a key role in strengthening the saffron party to contest the 2014 assembly polls independently.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had recently met BJP National President J P Nadda and discussed the issue of the appointment of new state unit chief, the party sources said. Besides Capt Abhimanyu and O P Dhankar, Panipat (rural) MLA Mahipal Dhanda was also being considered for the post as a face from the Jat community, the sources said.

Barala is considered close to Khattar and took the state chief post in December 2014 after the then Haryana BJP head Ram Bilas Sharma became state cabinet minister. In 2014, Bharatiya Janata Party had for the first time formed a government on its own strength in Haryana after winning 47 of the 90 seats.

Manohar Lal Khattar, a first-time MLA (Karnal), was made the chief minister. However, in 2019, BJP won 40 of the 90 seats and came to power with support from Jannayak Janta Party..