Congress' Flag
In a significant move ahead of the October 5 Assembly elections in Haryana, the Congress party released its first list of 32 candidates on Friday evening. This list includes prominent figures such as veteran Congress leader and two-time Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Olympian wrestler Vinesh Phogat, state unit chief Udai Bhan, and former minister Geeta Bhukkal.
The Congress has endorsed 29 sitting legislators from the state. Initially, the party issued a list of 31 candidates but later included Balbir Singh, the current legislator from the Israna (SC) Assembly constituency, bringing the total to 32.
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Hooda will contest from his traditional stronghold in Garhi Sampla-Killoi, Rohtak district, while Phogat will make her political debut from Julana in the Jind district. This announcement comes just hours after Phogat and Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Bajrang Punia joined the Congress party at its Delhi headquarters.
Udai Bhan will represent Congress in Hodal (SC), and Bhukkal will contest in Jhajjar (SC). The initial list also features veteran lawmaker Rao Dan Singh from Mahendragarh, Mewa Sing from Ladwa, Mamman Khan from Ferozepur Jhirka, Rajinder Singh Joon from Bahadurgarh, and Surender Panwar from Sonipat.
Phogat’s Support For Congress
Phogat, who has been vocal about her support for the Congress, emphasized the party’s understanding of her struggles and expressed her commitment to supporting fellow athletes. She also resigned from her position with the Indian Railways in connection with her political transition.
In addition, the party has retained Badli legislator Kuldeep Vats, and fielded Pradeep Chaudhary and Shalley Chaudhary from Kalka and Naraingarh Assembly seats, respectively. Ram Karan, who recently switched his allegiance from Dushyant Chautala’s Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) to Congress, has received a ticket for Shahbad.
The announcement of the candidate list coincides with ongoing seat-sharing negotiations with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The Congress Central Election Committee (CEC), which includes party President Mallikarjun Kharge, former chief Sonia Gandhi, General Secretary K.C. Venugopal, and AICC state in-charge Deepak Babaria, convened to finalize the list. Sources reveal that some senior Congress leaders, including Bhupinder Hooda, have expressed skepticism about the potential alliance with AAP, citing concerns over its impact in the state.
Voters will head to the polls for the 90-member Haryana Assembly on October 5, and the results will be announced on October 8.
