Chandigarh, Sep 5 (IANS): After being dropped from the candidature to re-enter the poll fray in Haryana, BJP Ratia legislator Lakshman Napa has resigned from the party’s primary membership.

His decision comes immediately after the party fielded its former Sirsa MP Sunita Duggal from the Ratia Assembly seat for the October poll.

With his resignation, speculation is rife about his joining the Congress after meeting with former Chief Minister Bhupinder Hooda.

The BJP on Wednesday released its first list of 67 candidates, fielding Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini from Ladwa in Kurukshetra district. Saini, who replaced Manohar Lal Khattar as the Chief Minister in March this year, is currently the MLA from Karnal.

Eight women also figured in the list of candidates. More than half of BJP’s 41 MLAs have been re-nominated.

Former Haryana BJP chief Om Prakash Dhankar, who is the party's national secretary, has been fielded from Badli while veteran party leader Anil Vij seeking re-election from his stronghold Ambala Cantonment.

The list also includes Union Minister Rao Inderjit Singh’s daughter Aarti Rao who has been fielded from Ateli, while Shruti Choudhry, who recently quit the Congress along with her mother and former Haryana CM Bansi Lal's daughter-in-law Kiran Choudhry, has been fielded from Tosham.

Rao Narbir Singh, who had earlier said that he would fight on a Congress ticket if he is not fielded by the BJP, but on Wednesday said that he was certain of figuring among the candidates, has been fielded from Badshahpur.

Shakti Rani Sharma, the wife of former Cabinet minister Venod Sharma, who joined the BJP two days ago, has been fielded from Kalka, which was unseated by Congress MLA Pradeep Chaudhary, who was convicted and sentenced to three-year imprisonment in a case of rioting by a Himachal Pradesh court.

Devender Singh Babli and Sanjay Kablana, who joined the BJP recently, will contest from Tohana and Tosham, respectively.

Responding to the release of the list much ahead of Congress, Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said, “A list of 67 candidates was issued today. Seats have been allocated to almost all senior candidates. I think nominations will continue till September 12. The remaining seats will be cleared too and a second list will be released in a few days.”

The candidates can file their nomination papers till September 12. The last date for withdrawal of nominations is September 16.

The election in Haryana is scheduled to be held in a single phase on October 5 and the counting of votes will take place on October 8.