Congress High Command Wakes Up 4 Months After Haryana Defeat, Leaders Summoned to Delhi

The Congress party seems to have finally awakened from its sleep, four months after facing defeat in the Haryana Assembly elections. While the BJP government has been busy implementing several important decisions during this period, Congress hadn't even conducted a review of its electoral loss until now. 

More significantly, the party has yet to select its Leader of Opposition in the Haryana Assembly. Now, the Congress high command has moved into action mode and called a meeting on March 6 in Delhi. Political analysts believe this meeting will finally decide who will lead the opposition in the state legislature. 

New Leadership Takes Charge

The meeting has been called by BK Hariprasad, who recently took over as the General Secretary in-charge of Haryana. Party sources say he's eager to get things moving after months of delay. When you talk to Congress workers in Chandigarh, they'll tell you everyone's been waiting for this meeting for what feels like forever. 

Key Issues on the Agenda

According to party insiders who spoke on condition of anonymity, there's a long list of issues piling up on Hariprasad's desk. "The high command is finally addressing what we've been asking for months," said one senior leader from Rohtak. The meeting will tackle several burning questions - who'll lead the opposition in the assembly, what went wrong in the elections, when they'll elect a new state president, and how they'll revamp the district leadership. 

"We can't keep operating with interim arrangements," another Congress MLA admitted. "The BJP has been running circles around us while we're still sorting out our internal matters." Party sources reveal that many organizational positions have remained vacant for a long time. The process to fill these positions may begin soon after this meeting. 

Leadership Crisis After Election Defeat

Following the electoral defeat, Congress had formed a panel to review the loss. This panel had spoken to various party leaders to understand what went wrong. Soon after, the party removed Deepak Babaria as the Haryana in-charge. Reports suggested that the Hooda faction was unhappy with Babaria. 

Interestingly, Babaria had claimed that Hooda was responsible for ticket distribution, which ultimately led to the disappointing results. Eventually, Babaria was removed from his position. 

Uncertain Future for Hooda

The situation looks increasingly worrying for Bhupinder Singh Hooda. Once the undisputed leader of Haryana Congress, his grip on power seems to be slipping. After being projected as the Chief Ministerial face and failing to deliver for the third straight election, even his staunch supporters are privately expressing doubts. "Hooda sahab has given everything to the party, but three defeats in a row is hard to defend," confided a legislator close to him.

Over in the other camp, Kumari Selja hasn't wasted any time. She's been meeting party workers across districts, subtly reminding everyone about the electoral debacle under Hooda's leadership. "The numbers don't lie," she reportedly told a gathering of party workers in Ambala last week. "We need fresh thinking and inclusive leadership." Her supporters point out that she's been systematically building her case with the high command, highlighting how the party's traditional vote bases eroded under the current leadership.

Sources indicate that Congress high command might take a middle path by appointing a third leader as the Opposition Leader, rather than choosing between the Hooda and Selja factions. Hooda's supporters among MLAs want him to become the Leader of Opposition. As a backup plan, the Hooda camp has prepared two additional names – Ashok Arora and Geeta Bhokkal.