AICC polls: Haryana Congress to ‘elect’ 195 delegates today, Hooda detractors say names already finalised

Swords, however, are once again out in the party with several senior leaders alleging that Hooda camp has already finalised the list of delegates and the elections are an eyewash. .

It is learnt that Randeep Surjewala, Kiran Choudhry and Kumari Selja, all known Hooda detractors, approached the party high command accusing the former CM of ignoring them in finalising the list of delegates. They also met chairman of the Congress’ central election authority (CEA), Madhusudan Mistry, in New Delhi on Sunday and conveyed their sentiments seeking his intervention.

Of the three, Selja had recently sought strict action against Hooda folliwng him meeting Ghulam Nabi Azad soon after the latter quit the Congress and levelled serious accusations on party high command.

Talking to The Indian Express, one of the leaders, not willing to be named, said, “It can not be I, me, myself in Congress. It has never been done that a CLP meeting is called to choose the delegates. Does it mean that MLAs are above the party? They (the MLAs) are because of the party”.

Another senior leader from state said the decisions and recommendations passed by the party during its in Chintan Shivir at Udaipur in May are not being adhered to in Haryana. “People who have lost their security deposits multiple times are being chosen as delegates. Even their children are being chosen. Deepender Hooda is coming as a delegate from Jind. Where would the party workers from Jind go? Don’t they have a legitimate right to choose their delegate? This election of delegates is nothing but a sham, here in Haryana,” the leader said.

Hooda, however, dismissed the allegations saying “some discontent will always be there; the meeting will be held and all the MLAs will be there and 195 delegates will be chosen and announced”.

Party in-charge for Haryana, Vivek Bansal told The Indian Express that till two days ago, the things appeared pretty smooth. “I am not aware if anything happened in the last two days. I am in Kerala these days and there is not much mobile connectivity in the area where I am. But, I will surely confirm if there is any discontent. Had there been any issue, they would have definitely brought it to my notice,” said Bansal.

About his presence in Tuesday’s meeting at Chandigarh, Bansal said, “The party affairs in-charge may or may not remain present in such an election meeting. I will not be there. PRO Tara Chand Bhagora will be there”.

Newsletter | Click to get the day’s best explainers in your inbox

Earlier, Hooda’s loyalist Udai Bhan had replaced Selja as state Congress president further strengthening former’s position within the state unit. Perturbed over party high command’s decision of appointing Udai Bhan and ignoring him, senior leader Kuldeep Bishnoi had quit Congress and joined BJP. Bishnoi too had accused Hooda of “calling the shots” in state party unit and said that it was no longer an “Indian National Congress” in Haryana as the party had become “Hooda Congress”.

It was in April this year, when state Congress announced that it will be completing its organisational polls by end of September. The membership drive that was launched earlier this year concluded on April 15 and over 7.5 lakh new members were added by the party to bolster its rank and file.