Buoyed by the Congress's victory in 5 LS seats in Haryana, former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda said Thursday the party is capable of contesting the Assembly elections due in October on its own. Talking to The Indian Express, Hooda said, “As of now, there is no discussion on whether we will contest the election alone or in alliance. However, the Congress itself is capable (in contesting the election on its own).” The Congress contested the Lok Sabha polls in alliance with the AAP in Haryana. The AAP lost the lone Kurukshetra seat it contested. Hooda, who along with 4 newly elected Lok Sabha MPs went to Delhi, said the party’s vote share increased to nearly 48% from 28% in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, while the BJP vote share has reduced to 46% from 58% five years ago. In the 2019 elections, the BJP had won all 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana. Talking about the election results, Hooda said, “In the country, I believe the INDIA bloc has secured the highest vote share in Haryana, followed by Karnataka. People have made up their minds to form a Congress government next in Haryana. After winning the Assembly election, we will again introduce the Old Pension Scheme for government employees. Our poll manifesto will also be released soon.” The Congress Legislative Party group will meet in Chandigarh on June 10 this year.