As Hooda curveball delays Congress list, rebels enter poll fray

Congress insiders said the reason for this delay in  finalising the party’s line-up for the Assembly polls was former Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s last-minute objections to the choice of candidates — he is said to have claimed they were greenhorns — in about half-a-dozen seats that were viewed as constituencies where Sirsa MP Kumari Selja wields influence. This took the party’s central leadership by surprise.

Sources said Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, who was in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, returned to Delhi in the evening and chaired a meeting with the party’s Haryana screening committee chairman Ajay Maken to resolve the problems. With consensus eluding on the names of candidates in some seats, the party came out with a list of 40 a little after 11.30 pm.

Congress insiders said Hooda objected to several names, including that of “exam warrior” Shweta Dhull from Kalayat. While a senior Congress leader was backing Dhull’s candidature, party insiders said Hooda loyalist and Hisar MP Jai Prakash was lobbying for a ticket for his son Vikas Saharan from the constituency. Ultimately, Saharan’s name figured in the list of 40 announced by the party.

In Kosli, Hooda is learnt to have had reservations about Youth Congress leader Rahul Rao. The ticket went to Jagadish Yadav, a former state minister who joined the Congress from the BJP last year. Though Rao is a confidant of Hooda’s son and Rohtak MP Deepender Hooda, the veteran leader wanted a more experienced face to be given the ticket.

There was also a tussle over candidates in Ambala City and Ambala Cantonment. Hooda’s confidant Nirmal Singh and his daughter Chitra Sarwara sought tickets from Ambala City and Ambala Cantonment, respectively. But Selja who has represented the Ambala parliamentary constituency in the past objected to their candidature. While Singh got the ticket — his name was on the list released around midnight — the Cantonment seat went to Parimal Pari, whose name was among the five released in the early hours of Thursday.

In 2019, Hooda lobbied hard for Singh’s candidature but failed. This was due to Selja’s opposition, according to Congress insiders. An upset Singh, a former minister, then contested as an Independent from Ambala City but lost to the BJP’s Aseem Goel. Singh, a four-time Congress MLA, later joined the AAP but returned to the Congress this January. Sarwara too contested from Ambala Cantonment as an Independent in 2019, giving a tough contest to BJP veteran Anil Vij.

Rebels file nomination papers

The party central leadership’s concern about disgruntled leaders entering the fray came to pass as Sarwara filed her nomination from Ambala Cantonment. Panchkula’s former Mayor Upender Kaur Ahluwalia entered the contest as an Independent from Panchkula, where the party has fielded Chander Mohan, the son of former CM Bhajan Lal.

Former Congress MLA Lalit Nagar entered the fray from Tigaon in Faridabad. After the party named Rohit Nagar in its list released at 2 am, Nagar called a meeting of his supporters in the morning during which he was seen weeping.

In Ballabgarh, Congress leader Sharda Rathore filed her papers as an Independent while in Panipat City, former Congress MLA Rohita Rewari entered the fray. Among the other Congress leaders contesting as Independents are veteran party leader Sampat Singh’s son Gaurav (Nalwa seat in Hisar), Satbir Singh (Bawani Khera in Bhiwani), and Vijay Jain (Panipat Rural). Former Congress MLA Ram Kishan, who was also overlooked, called a meeting of his supporters and warned of a revolt against the party.