On Thursday, the Congress party released its fifth list of candidates for the Haryana Assembly elections, scheduled for October 5. This latest announcement brings the total number of declared candidates to 88 out of 90 seats.
The party has nominated Naresh Selwal for the Uklana (SC-reserved) seat and Jasbir Singh for the Narnaund seat. Notably, Kumari Selja, a Member of Parliament, had expressed interest in contesting from Uklana.
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The Congress has yet to name candidates for the Sohna and Bhiwani seats. Earlier in the campaign, the party had already announced candidates for several constituencies: Parimal Pari for Ambala Cantonment, Sachin Kundu for Panipat (Rural), Satbir Dublain for Narwana (SC), Sarva Mitra Kamboj for Rania, and Rohit Nagar for Tigaon. Additionally, Aditya Surjewala, the son of Congress MP Randeep Surjewala, will run from Kaithal.
In Panchkula, the Congress has fielded Chander Mohan, the elder brother of BJP leader Kuldeep Bishnoi and the son of former Chief Minister Bhajan Lal. Chander Mohan, who lost to BJP’s Gian Chand Gupta in the 2019 elections, will face Gupta once again.
Crucial Battle
For Bhupinder Singh Hooda, the two-time Congress Chief Minister, the upcoming elections are a crucial battle to reclaim power from the BJP, following a decade of opposition. Hooda, considered the “de-facto” chief ministerial candidate for the Congress, filed his nomination from his stronghold, Garhi Sampla-Kiloi in Rohtak district, on Wednesday.
As Thursday marks the final day for filing nominations, Hooda has been actively campaigning across Haryana, criticizing the BJP government for issues such as unemployment, law and order, and development. Hooda remains confident that the election will be a direct contest between Congress and BJP, and believes the electorate is dissatisfied with the current government.
In contrast, Haryana’s current Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, who has also filed his nomination from Ladwa in Kurukshetra, has been on the road throughout the state. Meanwhile, under Hooda’s leadership and with support from his MP son Deepender Hooda, the Congress has focused on organizing internally and rallying party supporters through public meetings.
