Hooda stamp on Cong second list too

The second round of ticket allotment on Thursday too went in favour of Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda when he managed to push the candidature of four new entrants....

The second round of ticket allotment on Thursday too went in favour of Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda when he managed to push the candidature of four new entrants to the Congress for the current Haryana Assembly polls.

Former minister Sampat Singh,who had defected to Congress after losing Lok Sabha polls as a nominees of the INLD,was rewarded with a ticket from Nalwa. However,a tough contest awaits him with Haryana Janhit Congress chief leader Bhajan Lal having fielded his wife Jasma Devi from the seat. Former INLD member of the Lok Sabha Sushil Kumar was allotted a ticket from Kalanwali reserved constituency. Ram Kumar Gautam,a member of the dissolved Assembly,had quit the BJP to the join Congress. Hooda got him the Congress nomination from his Narnaund constituency. Former minister Shakuntala Bhagwaria was among the nine independent MLAs who were admitted to the Congress on the eve of the polls. She has been put up as Congress candidate from her Bawal reserved constituency.

Another major gain for Hooda was the allotment of the ticket to former Haryana minister Ranjit Singh,younger brother of INLD chief Om Prakash Chautala,from the Rania constituency.

There was some consolation for the Surjewalas,father Shamsher Singh and son Randeep,as two of their supporters,Tejinder Pal Mann and Ram Phal Lot,were given tickets from Kalayat and Narwana reserved seats. Randeep,a minister in the Hooda Government,had moved to his father constituency,Kaithal,earlier because his own Narwana constituency had been reserved for SCs following delimitation.

Former minister Chhatrapal Singh,who once hit the headlines by defeating Devi Lal at the peak of his career,secured a nomination from Hansi. His had been a prolonged battle for rehabilitation after his own Ghirai constituency disappeared due to delimitation. Nripendra Singh Sangwan,engaged in a gruelling task to hold on to his Dadri constituency to keep two other formidable claimants,Ranbir Singh Mahendra and Dharmvir Singh,at bay,tasted success. The high command finally opted for him. Both resourceful candidates have now shifted their attention to two adjacent seats,Badhra and Nangal Chaudhary,which are among the five to which the Congress has not yet named candidates.

The Congress has fielded Bharat Singh Beniwal against Chautala from his home-constituency,Ellenabad.