Haryana MLA Babli joins BJP

New Delhi : Haryana MLA Devender Singh Babli, who was elected on the ticket of the Jannayak Janata Party, joined the BJP on Monday, as the ruling party looks to bolster its ranks in the state ahead of the upcoming assembly polls. The Tohana MLA was a minister in the government headed by former chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar and might be fielded by the BJP in the polls. Babli said the BJP is driven by the mindset of development.

He exuded confidence that the party will return to power in Haryana for a third term. Two other leaders, Sunil Sangwan, whose father Satpal Sangwan is a former Haryana minister, and Sanjay Kablana, also joined the BJP.

Sunil Sangwan is in the government service and has put in his papers, an indication that he will be contesting the polls as well. Kablana, too, was in the JJP.

They joined the BJP in the presence of its general secretary Arun Singh, former Tripura chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb and Haryana unit president Mohan Lal Badoli. Singh claimed that a pro-BJP mood prevails in Haryana and the party will retain power in the state.

Haryana goes to polls on October 5 and votes will be counted on October 8. Babli had defeated the then Haryana BJP president Subhash Barala in the 2019 polls by over 50,000 votes in an election in which Jats had mostly voted against the BJP, which still emerged as the single largest party and retained power.