Is India’s Richest Woman Savitri Jindal BJP’s ‘B Team’ In Haryana? What She Told NDTV

The BJP denying a ticket to India’s richest woman, Savitri Jindal, who joined the party in March after quitting the Congress, came as a surprise to many and the two-time MLA from Hisar and former Haryana minister is now contesting as an Independent from the constituency. 

Speaking exclusively to NDTV on Saturday, the 74-year-old spoke about why she did not contest on a Congress ticket when the BJP decided to go with Haryana minister and sitting Hisar MLA Kamal Gupta, and also answered a question on whether she would support the BJP if she gets elected.

Ms Jindal said that her husband, OP Jindal, used to represent the Hisar constituency and she entered politics after he died. “I lost the Assembly elections in 2014 and chose not to contest in 2019, but my Hisar family insisted that I should be a candidate this time. I am contesting because they have asked me to.”

On her family’s old relationship with the Congress and whether her contesting as an Independent should be seen as a rebellion against the BJP, Ms Jindal, whose son Naveen Jindal is a BJP MP, said she had not rebelled and reiterated that she had respected the wishes of the people of Hisar. 

Asked why she did not contest on a ticket from the Congress when the BJP did not field her, she said, “They (the people of Hisar) wanted me to contest at any cost. Doctor sahab (Dr Kamal Gupta) is contesting from the BJP and the Congress has fielded Rara sahab (Ram Niwas Rara), so I had no choice but to contest as an Independent.”

Ms Jindal, who has been listed by Forbes India as the country’s richest woman with a net worth of $ 29.1 billion, insisted that her rival is neither the Congress nor the BJP and that she is running her own campaign.

To a question on talk that she is the B Team of the BJP and would support the party if she wins, Ms Jindal said, “No, I haven’t thought of anything. My Hisar family will decide, I am their representative.” 

She also remained non-committal on supporting either the Congress or the BJP if they needed her help to cobble together numbers after the election and said she would leave that decision to God’s will. 

Polling will be held in all 90 Assembly constituencies in Haryana on October 5 and counting will take place on October 8.