CHANDIGARH: In the Congress candidate lists for the Haryana assembly elections, the stamp of Leader of Opposition and former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda is evident. Of the 89 candidates announced, the Hooda camp was able to get ticket for 78 of its loyalists and the rest 11 belong to Kumari Selja and Randeep Singh Surjewala factions, according to party sources.
“Nomination of at last 48 candidates was delayed due to factionalism within the Congress and finally Hooda prevailed,” a Congress leader said, wishing not be named. The former CM, however, could not get ticket for Chitra Sarwara from Ambala Cantonment. She came second in last assembly polls though she contested as an Independent.
Hooda’s rival Sirsa MP Kumari Selja managed to get nine tickets for her loyalists, failing to convince the party to nominate her close aide Ajay Chaudhary for Narnaund even after declaring him as the candidate on September 11. She was also seeking ticket for a family member from Uklana.
The other Hooda rival and Rajya Sabha MP Surjewala got two tickets—one for his son from Kaithal and Narwana.
The Congress has fielded 12 women. As far as caste-wise break-up is concerned, the party has fielded 26 Jats, three Jat Sikhs, 17 Scheduled Castes, 20 Backward Classes (BCs), including Gujjars and Ahirs, five Brahmins, two Baniyas, seven Punjabis and one each from Bishnoi, Ror, Rajput and Sikh communities, an analysis of the lists shows.
Eyeing non-Jat and OBC votes, the BJP has given ticket to 11 Brahmins, 11 Punjabis, 20 BCs, 17 SCs and 16 Jats, three Rajputs, two Rors, two Muslims, five Baniyas, two Bishnois and one Jat Sikh.
