Congress Faces Problems in Finalising Haryana Candidates

Rahul Gandhi's Involvement Sought to Resolve Disagreements over 3 Seats

Representational Image

April 24, 2024

The Congress party is struggling to finalise its list of candidates for the Lok Sabha elections in Haryana. Three seats have become a source of intense debate, leading to delays in announcing the names. The party leadership is now considering involving Rahul Gandhi to find a solution.

The Contentious Seats

The seats of Bhiwani-Mahendragarh, Gurugram, and Rohtak have emerged as the main points of disagreement. Former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda's camp is backing former MLA Rao Inderjit Singh for Bhiwani-Mahendragarh and actor Raj Babbar for Gurugram. However, Congress leaders Kumari Selja and Randeep Singh Surjewala are opposing these candidates. They want former MP Shruti Choudhry and Captain Ajay Yadav to contest from these seats instead.

The Central Election Committee's Efforts

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge formed a sub-committee with senior leaders K.C. Venugopal, Madhusudan Mistry, and Salman Khurshid to resolve the issue. This step was taken after the Central Election Committee (CEC) failed to reach a consensus after three meetings. The sub-committee has submitted its report to the party high command. However, there is now a discussion about consulting Rahul Gandhi, who is currently recovering from food poisoning in Gujarat.

Rahul Gandhi's Role

Party sources indicate that the central leadership wants to involve Rahul Gandhi in the decision-making process, especially for the three contentious seats. This shows the importance the party places on his input and the delicate nature of the situation. The Congress has not yet finalised its candidate list for Haryana, even as the election dates approach. It is expected that the announcement will be made only after April 25, once the leadership reaches an agreement.

The Remaining Seats

For the remaining six seats, the sub-committee has reached an understanding with Haryana leaders. The probable candidates include Mahendra Rathore for Karnal (against former CM Manohar Lal Khattar), Kumari Selja for Sirsa, Congress MLA Varun Chowdhry for Ambala, former minister Mahender Pratap for Faridabad, Kuldeep Sharma for Sonipat, and Brijendra Singh for Hisar. As the Congress party tries to overcome these hurdles, all eyes are on the high command's ability to resolve the internal differences and present a united front for the crucial Lok Sabha elections in Haryana.

List of Congress candidates-