Leaves Bhiwani for INDIA partner CPI(M), does not field party nominee against Ranjit Singh Chautala in Rania
Three MPs – Randeep Singh Surjewala, Jai Prakash, and Varun Chaudhary – obliged by giving party tickets to their kin
Hooda pushes in his close kin Karan Singh Dalal from Palwal
Another member of Bansi Lal clan in the fray
After playing safe by renominating all 28 incumbent MLAs in its first list of 32 nominees for the October 5 Haryana assembly elections 2024, from the third list onwards the Congress, showing some urgency in its efforts to return to power in the state after 10 years, has been distributing tickets to kin of members of Parliament and party bigwigs along with a significant number of new faces.
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The party completed the process of naming 88 nominees to the 90-member state assembly hours before the deadline for filing of nomination papers ended on Thursday. It has left the Bhiwani seat for its INDIA alliance partner CPI(M) from where Comrade Om Prakash has filed his nomination papers.
It has also decided to support former Haryana power minister Ranjit Singh Chautala, who recently resigned from the BJP on being denied the party ticket and is contesting from his home constituency Rania in Sirsa district as an independent candidate. The party has not put up its nominee against him, apparently to ensure BJP’s defeat in the constituency.
Even while the lists show overwhelming influence of former two-term chief minister and Leader of the Opposition in the now prematurely dissolved House, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, in the selection process, three members of Parliament have also been obliged by giving party tickets to their sons (in two cases) and spouse (in one).
Former Haryana minister and current Rajya Sabha member Randeep Singh Surjewala’s son Aditya Surjewala has been given the party ticket to contest from Kaithal, a seat held for two terms by Randeep and once by his father Shamsher Singh Surjewala.
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Hisar MP Jai Prakash’s son Vikas Saharan has been given the party nomination from Kalayat; and Ambala MP Varun Chaudhary’s wife Pooja Chaudhary will be the Congress candidate from Mulana, a seat vacated by Varun himself on being elected to the Lok Sabha.
Defeated candidates get another chance
A significant number of leaders (12), who lost the last assembly elections held in 2019, have also been renominated, among them being Mandeep Singh Chatha, son of former Haryana minister and speaker of the House Harmohinder Singh Chattha, who lost both his previous elections (2014 & 2019) from Pehowa, a constituency from which his father won twice in 2005 and 2009.
34 new faces: At the same time the party has given a chance to 34 new faces and denied renomination to 28 leaders, among them being BJP’s Union minister Rao Inderjit Singh’s younger brother Rao Yadavendra Singh, who lost consecutively to BJP candidates in 2014 and 2019 from Kosli assembly constituency in Rewari district, a seat he won once in 2009.
The constituency of another leader has been changed.
Former Haryana deputy CM Chander Mohan has been renominated from Panchkula assembly constituency, from where he lost the last elections in 2019 to Gian Chand Gupta of the BJP by less than 6,000 votes. Gupta, who went on to become the Speaker of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha, will again face Chander Mohan to make it three-in-a-row win from Panchkula.
Chander Mohan was elected to the Kalka assembly constituency four times consecutively – in 1993 through to 2005, but ever since Panchkula has been carved out as a separate assembly constituency, he has not been able to establish a firm footing in the new constituency.
Another Bansi Lal kin fielded
Sombir Sheoran, son-in-law of former chief minister Bansi Lal who was considered by many as the architect of modern Haryana, has been fielded as the party nominee from Bhadra assembly constituency, in place of Bansi Lal’s elder son Ranbir Singh Mahendra, who had lost the last elections in 2019 to Naina Chautala of the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP).
The party has already pitted Ranbir Mahendra’s son Anirudh Chaudhary against Bansi Lal’s granddaughter Shruti Choudhry from his younger son, late Surender Singh, in Tosham assembly constituency, Bansi Lal’s family bastion.
Hooda’s close kin Karan Dalal from Palwal
Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s close relative Karan Singh Dalal was confirmed as the party nominee from Palwal in Rewari district much after he filed his nomination papers with the returning officer as a party nominee, assured that he was getting the party ticket.
Dalal is five-term MLA from the constituency, four times consecutively (winning from from 1991 through to 2005). He also served as cabinet minister in the Haryana Vikas Party (HVP) government led by Bansi Lal. HVP later merged with the Congress in 2004.
Congress’ third list
Congress’ fourth list
Congress’ final fifth list
