Ashok Tanwar : BJP’S pick from the hot seat of Sirsa

Haryana’s Sirsa seat has always been one of the most contested seats of the state for decades. The Congress party along with the Chautala clan’s Indian national lokdal, dominated the politics in the Sirsa Lok Sabha seat for years before 2019, when BJP’s Sunita Duggal won with a large margin under Narendra Modi’s juggernaut defeating Congress candidate Ashok Tanwar. Now, coming to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP has fielded Ashok Tanwar from the Sirsa Lok Sabha seat who shifted his loyalties to the saffron party in January 2024, after resigning from the nascent state unit of the Aam Aadmi Party. 

Ashok Tanwar began his professional political life as an NSUI activist at JNU. In Youth politics, Tanwar gained notoriety by contesting the JNU student union president's election. In 1999, he was elected secretary of NSUI, and in 2003, he was elected president. Since assuming office in 2003, the NSUI has improved its performance at the Left-dominated JNU and won two elections in the Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU).  With his quick ascent inside the Congress party, Ashok Tanwar was frequently considered as a close assistant to Rahul Gandhi.

He ran for Lok Sabha in 2009 from Sirsa and won under the UPA; however, in 2014, the Modi wave defeated him. That same year, he was elected head of the Congress's Haryana unit but his frequent disagreements with former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda made it to the daily headlines which led to the creation of different camps in Haryana Congress. However, after the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Tanwar left the Congress in less than a month when Gandhi family loyalist Kumari Selja succeeded him in September 2019. After Congress, Tanwar joined the TMC and AAP party, before joining the BJP finally in 2024 January.

Rumors about Tanwar getting a ticket from the Sirsa Lok Sabha seat started as soon as he joined the BJP. In March 2024, BJP declared Tanwar’s candidature from Sirsa replacing Sunita Duggal. Tanwar being a young Dalit face in state politics, is a potential asset for the BJP, since he can leverage the state's 20% Scheduled Caste vote share, which can also be the possible reason behind the saffron party’s move. Since the announcement of his name Tanwar has been out on the ground campaigning in full fervour.

The main opposition party, Congress is yet to declare the final list of its candidates for Haryana, but if we go by rumors congress high command seems in the mood to give the Sirsa Lok Sabha seat to the party stalwart Kumari Shelja. Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see the high-voltage contest between Ashok Tanwar and Kumari Shelja if Congress puts the final seal on the name of Shelja. While, Tanwar appears confident of his win in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, only time will tell how Tanwar performs on the symbol of lotus!