Haryana polls: Congress’s 1st list of 31 candidates out, Vinesh Phogat to contest from Julana

The party has fielded Mewa Singh from Ladwa to take on Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini.

Olympians Phogat and Bajrang Punia, who were at the forefront of the wrestlers’ protest against former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and BJP leader Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh last year, entered the political arena earlier today by joining the Congress.

Hours after joining the party, Punia was appointed the working chairman of the All India Kisan Congress.

The Central Election Committee (CEC) of the Congress met earlier in the day to finalise its candidates for the Haryana polls. Party president Mallikarjun Kharge, former party chief Sonia Gandhi, party general secretary in-charge organisation K C Venugopal, All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge of Haryana Deepak Babaria and former chief minister of the state Bhupinder Singh Hooda, among others, attended the meeting.

Meanwhile, the Congress is engaged in seat-sharing talks with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for the polls, with hard bargaining going on from both sides. However, the discussions are likely to fall through, AAP sources told The Indian Express on Friday. Hooda and some other leaders of the Congress have strongly opposed the proposal.

The 90-member Haryana Assembly is scheduled to go to polls on October 5, and the counting of votes will be undertaken on October 8.

Congress’s candidate list

From the homepage

Bar Council of India suspends lawyer for ‘throwing shoe’ at CJI Gavai: ‘Conduct inconsistent with court’s dignity’

On Ladakh after Wangchuk arrest, LG says normal, protesting groups disagree

Dalit man lynched over ‘drone chor’ rumours in UP’s Raebareli; Cong slams ‘jungle raj’ under Yogi govt