Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has been fielded again from Karnal as the BJP announced on Monday names of its 78 candidates for October 21 polls to the state assembly.
The party has given tickets to several noted sportspersons who had joined it in recent weeks with wrestler Babita Phogat, former Indian hockey captain Sandeep Singh, Olympic medallist Yogeshwar Dutt contesting from Dadri, Pehowa and Baroda respectively, its national general secretary Arun Singh told reporters.
He said the party's central election committee, which had met on Sunday, has repeated 38 MLAs and dropped seven of them for the polls to the 90-member assembly.
Khattar had won from Karnal seat in 2014.
Haryana BJP president Subhash Barala will contest from Tohana, Captain Abhimanyu from Narnod and Om Prakash Dhankar from Badli, Singh said.
Former Union minister and Jat leader Birender Singh's MLA wife will contest from Uchana Kalan, a seat she had won in 2014.
The candidates include nine women and two Muslims.
