Selja likely to be new Cong face in Haryana

Union Minister of State for Urban Employment and Poverty Alleviation, Kumari Selja may replace former Chief Minister Bhajan Lal as president...

Union Minister of State for Urban Employment and Poverty Alleviation, Kumari Selja may replace former Chief Minister Bhajan Lal as president of the Haryana Congress, sources disclosed today.

Party general secretary Janardhan Dwivedi, who is in charge of the state, however, maintained: ‘‘We have not held any discussion on the issue…Wait till tomorrow.’’ Assembly elections in Haryana are due early next year. A change of guard at this stage would be indicative of the high command’s choice for the chief ministership. Along side, it would mean that Bhajan Lal is out of the reckoning.

Sources close to Bhajan Lal, however, claimed that his job was safe. Not the one to give it up easily, Bhajan Lal himself told reporters, ‘‘Koi patak ke bhi hatayega, to bhi nahin hatoonga’’ (Even if someone removes me by force, I will not budge).

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After a short while, he seemed to relent — when asked what would he do if the high command sought his resignation, he said: ‘‘Then, I will indeed have to give it.’’

Selja, daughter of former Union minister Dalbir Singh, is the Dalit-face of the party in Haryana. Belonging to the younger generation of state leaders, she shifted from her traditional Sirsa Lok Sabha constituency to Ambala in the last polls.

The summons come amid a broader crackdown by the ED on betting apps functioning illegally in India.

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