The Congress party is now grappling with internal dissent similar to the troubles the BJP faced after releasing its candidate list for the Haryana Assembly elections. Just a day after Congress unveiled its first list of candidates, which featured prominent figures like former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda from Garhi Sampla-Kiloi, new entrant Vinesh Phogat from Julana, and state unit chief Udai Bhan from Hodal, senior Congress leader Rajesh Joon resigned from the party and announced his intention to run as an Independent from the Bahadurgarh constituency.
Joon, who had previously expressed dissatisfaction after Rajinder Singh Joon was nominated from Bahadurgarh in the 2019 elections, declared on Saturday, “The Congress leadership has deceived me. I was promised a ticket that was not delivered. I will secure an MLA position by winning double the votes of the Congress candidate.” Joon’s departure follows a similar rebellion in 2019, where he and another leader had contested against Rajinder Singh Joon before withdrawing their nominations after intervention by Bhupinder Singh Hooda.
In the Baroda Assembly constituency, Congress leader Kapoor Singh Narwal has voiced his frustration, claiming that Bhupinder Singh Hooda promised him the ticket, which was instead awarded to Induraj Singh Narwal. “The people of Baroda have been betrayed, not just me. I will decide on running as an Independent tomorrow,” Narwal said, with sources indicating he might leave the party.
The Congress, buoyed by winning five of ten Lok Sabha seats in Haryana, hopes to overcome this internal strife and challenge the BJP’s long-standing rule in the state. However, the party’s central leadership is also facing difficulties in its proposed alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), with disagreements over seat-sharing stalling progress. AAP is seeking ten seats, while Congress is willing to concede only five to seven.
Meanwhile, the BJP is not without its own issues. After releasing its candidate list of 67 names, dissent has erupted within the party. Energy Minister Ranjit Chautala and MLA Lakshman Napa resigned after being denied tickets. Chautala, the son of former Deputy Prime Minister Chaudhary Devi Lal, has announced his intention to contest as an Independent, while Napa is set to join Congress. BJP MLA Shashi Ranjan Parmar also expressed his distress publicly, breaking down in tears over his exclusion from the list.
With voting scheduled for October 5 across all 90 Haryana constituencies and results to be counted on October 8, both major parties face significant challenges as they prepare for the upcoming elections.
