Bhupendra Singh Hooda, Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge
Leaders hoping to contest elections on Congress tickets in Haryana are growing restless. With only two days left for the nomination process, the party is yet to announce the names of candidates for 49 seats. The Congress is moving fast and is not in too much of a hurry to announce the names of its candidates. Out of the total 90 assembly seats in the state, the Congress has so far announced names in three lists for tickets for 41 seats.
After the release of the first list of BJP tickets for 67 seats in the Haryana elections, the Congress has changed its strategy in view of the rebellion in the party. After five meetings of the screening committee, the Central Election Committee finalized the names for 66 seats, but the Congress folded its hands amid the upheaval in the BJP. The Congress is now announcing the names of the candidates as a well-thought-out strategy to avoid the possibility of a coup.
Due to the rebellion, the Congress was stretched
More than a dozen party leaders in eight assembly constituencies openly expressed their opposition after the announcement of the names of 41 Congress candidates. In which many leaders have also announced to contest elections as independents. Rajesh June, who is gearing up for elections, has rebelled after Bahadurgarh sitting MLA Rajendra June was given a ticket again. Rajesh had joined the Congress with the hope of contesting the elections in 2019. After Sadhaura MLA Renu Bala got the ticket, Brijpal Chappar has opened the front. Similarly, senior leader Kapur Singh Narwal bid farewell to the Congress after the candidature of sitting MLA Induraj Narwal was declared in Baroda. Similarly, there are many leaders in the Congress who joined the Congress with the hope of contesting the elections.
Struggle for Assembly ticket in Congress
Two and a half thousand Congress leaders applied for tickets for 90 assembly seats in Haryana. The biggest pressure on the Congress is to give tickets to leaders who are former ministers and MLAs from other parties. Three dozen big leaders have joined the Congress in the last two years. Most of these leaders have joined the Congress in the hope of contesting elections. Apart from this, there are many big faces in the Congress itself, who are planning to contest the elections. In such a situation, all Congress leaders are camping in Delhi for tickets. Apart from this, the displeasure of the leaders has also come to the fore in many meetings.
Congress status ‘one pomegranate, hundred sick’
Congress has long queues of people seeking tickets. There are more than two hundred such leaders in the state, who are all set to contest the elections. 20 to 27 leaders are seeking tickets for each seat. In such a situation, the condition of Congress has become like a pomegranate and a hundred diseases. Congress can give ticket to only one person. In such a situation, there is a fear that the Congress may revolt and contest the election as an independent candidate due to not getting the ticket. It is believed that because of this Congress is deliberately announcing the names of the candidates by releasing the list piece by piece.
How Congress is greenlighting the ticket?
In Haryana, leaders who have no doubt on their ticket and are certain to contest the elections, are also being called and asked to prepare for nominations. On Monday, Karan Singh Dalal filed his candidacy on the Congress symbol from Palwal seat without announcing the ticket. Similarly many other leaders have also got the green light. Out of the 32 candidates that the Congress has announced in the first list, 28 are sitting MLAs of the party. Apart from this, tickets have been given to independent MLA Dharampal Gondar from Nilokheri and JJP MLA Ramkaran Kala from Shahabad.
How will Surjewala-Sailja’s demand be met?
Randeep Surjewala and Kumari Selja are also believed to have played an important role in delaying the Congress ticket. While Kumari Shailja has so far managed to get candidates for four leaders close to her, Ajay Yadav has managed to get his son Chiranjeev Rao a ticket. Chaudhary Birendra Singh has also fielded his son Brijendra Singh as a Congress candidate. Randeep Surjewala’s son is yet to get a ticket and neither has anyone close to him been nominated.
MPs Kumari Shailja and Randeep Surjewala strongly advocated for their favorites against the high command. Both the leaders are trying hard to get their supporters tickets in their respective areas. Kumari Shailja is eyeing assembly seats in Hisar, Sirsa and Fatehabad districts, from where she is lobbying for tickets to her closest leaders from the Congress. In this way, Randeep Surjewala is trying to get tickets to his supporters leaders on the seats of Kaithal and Jind districts. Due to which the Congress is caught in confusion and it has become a major reason behind the delay in ticketing.
