MLA Mohan Lal Badoli, on Tuesday, was appointed as the Bharatiya Janata Party's state president for Haryana, replacing Chief Minister Nayab Saini, who continued to hold the charge following his elevation as head of the state government.
Assembly polls are slated to be held in the state in a few months. The BJP has been in power in Haryana since 2014 but the Congress displayed strong signs of revival in the recent Lok Sabha elections, winning five of the 10 constituencies in the state.
A sitting MLA, Badoli lost the Lok Sabha election from the Sonipat seat to his Congress rival in a close contest.
Who is Badoli?
Badoli, a 61-year-old Brahmin and RSS member since 1989, was first elected to the Haryana Assembly from Rai in 2019, winning by 2,663 votes. He was born in 1963 in the village of Badoli in Sonipat district's Rai Tehsil to poet Kali Ram Kaushik.
Badoli's political journey began in 1989 when he joined the RSS. He later moved to the BJP and held various positions, including Mandal Adhyaksh of Murthal and Sonipat district president. He was appointed party general secretary in 2020 and inducted into the state BJP's core team. In 2019, he defeated Congress's Jai Tirath in the Rai Assembly constituency, ending the Congress's winning streak.
Despite losing the recent Lok Sabha election to Congress's Satpal Brahmchari from Sonipat, Badoli's appointment is seen as a strategic move by the BJP. He has a significant following in the state and is expected to play a key role in the BJP's election committee. Badoli's assets are worth over Rs 16.3 crore, according to his recent poll affidavit, and he has a background in agriculture and business.
Badoli's appointment comes after he replaced sitting MP Ramesh Chander Kaushik from Sonipat but lost to Satpal Brahmchari by 21,816 votes.
The BJP won the seat in 1999 and 2004, lost it to the Congress in 2009, and won again in 2014 and 2019. This time, Brahmchari had a 48.82% vote share, while Badoli got 46.88% of the votes.
Badoli's appointment is seen as a move to strengthen the BJP's presence in Haryana, and he is expected to play a key role in the party's election committee.
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