Selja, Deepender in race for Cong nomination
CHANDIGARH: With less than 48 hours left for the last date to make nominations for the elections to the three Upper House seats from Haryana, the Congress high command, it seems, is vacillating in picking up party’s choice.
Haryana Congress president and sitting Rajya Sabha MP Kumari Selja and former Rohtak MP Deepender Hooda, son of former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda, are in the race to get a nomination. The BJP’s central election committee (CEC), which met on Tuesday, is learnt to have finalised the candidates for Haryana and is likely to make an announcement anytime soon.
Congress sources said Bhupinder Singh Hooda is vigorously pushing for his son’s candidature. “Deepender lost Rohtak Lok Sabha seat by a slender margin and was a respectable loser as compared to other Congress candidates. So, he rightfully fits the bill,” said a Hooda supporter.
Kumari Selja, who was appointed the state Congress chief just before the 2019 assembly polls by Sonia Gandhi, however, is not a pushover. Known to enjoy close proximity with Sonia Gandhi, she was given a cushion in form of an Upper House berth just before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, thus saving her from contesting from Ambala and possible ignominy of losing. The Congress had in 2014 lost nine Lok Sabha seats in Haryana.
While two Rajya Sabha vacancies are occurring due to the resignation of BJP’s Ram Kumar Kashyap and expiry of Selja’s term, a third casual vacancy necessitating a by-election has arisen following the resignation of former Union minister Birender Singh. Considering the number of assembly seats won by the ruling BJP (40) and the opposition Congress (31), the two should be easily able to elect one MP each on March 26.