Because the Congress get together navigates a difficult electoral panorama in Haryana, the absence of Kumari Selja, AICC normal secretary and MP from Sirsa, has raised considerations throughout the get together. With meeting elections scheduled for October 5, Selja’s withdrawal from the marketing campaign has sparked hypothesis about her grievances, which Congress leaders are struggling to handle.
Selja holds important affect in key meeting constituencies, notably in Sirsa and Fatehabad. Reviews counsel her frustration stems from the current ticket distribution course of. She was solely in a position to safe 9 nominations for her loyalists and confronted challenges convincing get together management to endorse her shut aide, Ajay Chaudhary, for the Narnaund meeting seat, regardless of having declared him a candidate. Moreover, Selja had sought to appoint a member of the family from Uklana and reportedly requested round 30 tickets for her faction.
In Haryana’s 90 meeting seats, 17 are reserved for Scheduled Caste candidates, making Selja’s position vital for the Congress get together’s technique.
Insider sources reveal that senior get together chief Randeep Singh Surjewala additionally confronted difficulties, managing to safe solely 4 nominations of his alternative. Collectively, Selja and Surjewala have been in a position to affect 13 out of the 89 seats the Congress is contesting. Most nominations bore the stamp of Bhupinder Singh Hooda, the previous chief minister and a dominant determine within the get together.
Because the Congress get together gears up for the elections, resolving Selja’s discontent is essential. Her absence might hinder the get together’s efforts to attach with key voter demographics, notably among the many Scheduled Castes, which comprise a good portion of Haryana’s citizens.
Union Residence Minister Amit Shah criticized the Congress get together on Monday, calling it an “anti-Dalit” group for its remedy of Dalit leaders, together with Kumari Selja. Shah made these remarks whereas campaigning in Haryana, the place meeting elections are set for October 5. “The Congress get together has all the time insulted Dalit leaders, be it Ashok Tanwar or sister Kumari Selja,” Shah acknowledged, referencing Selja, the Member of Parliament from Sirsa, who has expressed dissatisfaction together with her sidelining throughout the get together. Tanwar, the previous Congress president of Haryana, joined the Bharatiya Janata Social gathering (BJP) earlier this yr.
Kumari Selja has been noticeably absent from public engagements over the previous ten days, opting to remain at her residence in Delhi whereas assembly with get together employees. Her absence was notably felt in the course of the Congress get together’s manifesto launch occasion on the AICC headquarters on September 18. Regardless of her frustrations, Selja responded to BJP’s invites on Monday, asserting, “BJP leaders ought to chorus from giving me recommendation,” on the Panchayat AajTak occasion.
Hypothesis Surrounding Selja’s Absence
Selja’s lack of participation within the Congress marketing campaign has sparked hypothesis about her political future, particularly because the get together seems optimistic about regaining energy in Haryana after a decade. She final actively campaigned on September 11, supporting candidates Shalley Chaudhary in Naraingarh and Shamsher Singh Gogi in Assandh.
Reviews point out that Selja is sad concerning the distribution of tickets for the upcoming meeting elections. The Haryana Congress, recognized for its inner factions, has seen Selja and AICC normal secretary Randeep Surjewala emerge as critics of the camp led by former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. Selja reportedly requested 30 to 35 tickets for her supporters however noticed Hooda’s faction obtain 72 nominations.
Including to her frustrations, Selja’s aides have been reportedly denied tickets even in her personal constituency of Sirsa, the place she gained decisively within the 2024 normal elections.
Compounding her challenges, a Congress employee made a derogatory comment about Selja throughout a current nomination occasion, which garnered widespread consideration on social media. This prompted a condemnation from the Haryana Congress management, together with Bhupinder Hooda.
Management Intervention
Reviews counsel that Selja is predicted to rejoin the marketing campaign on September 26. She lately met with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in New Delhi, the place he reportedly listened to her considerations and warranted her that her grievances can be addressed. Moreover, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi has intervened to fix the rift in Haryana, urging Ashok Gehlot, the get together’s election in-charge for the state, to encourage Selja’s return to campaigning.
Selja’s absence raised alarms throughout the Congress, notably given the importance of the Dalit vote, which constitutes about 20 p.c of the citizens in Haryana. There are 17 Scheduled Caste-reserved seats within the 90-member Haryana meeting, and Selja is influential in lots of of those constituencies.
The Significance of Unity
The Congress get together can not afford to alienate both Selja or Hooda. Having a Dalit chief like Selja is essential for securing votes from the Dalit neighborhood, which is significant for the get together’s electoral success. This aligns with Rahul Gandhi’s stance on reservations and a caste census, particularly in mild of the Bahujan Samaj Social gathering’s alliance with the Indian Nationwide Lok Dal and Bhim Military chief Chandrashekhar’s Aazad Samaj Social gathering becoming a member of forces with the Jannayak Janta Social gathering.
However, Hooda stays a preferred determine among the many Jat neighborhood, which constitutes about 25 p.c of Haryana’s voters. His management performed a pivotal position within the Congress successful 5 of the ten Lok Sabha seats from the ruling BJP in 2024.
“Neither Kumari Selja ji nor Mr. Hooda has spoken towards one another. So we’re a united get together. We are going to battle this election in a united method,” Congress chief P. Chidambaram affirmed lately.
