In the wake of the Haryana Assembly elections, the Congress party is grappling with internal discord following a significant defeat to the BJP, which has secured its third consecutive term in the state. Shamsher Singh Gogi, a former Congress MLA and candidate from the Assandh constituency, has publicly blamed Bhupinder Singh Hooda and his son Deepender Singh Hooda, for the party's poor performance.
Gogi expressed his frustration, stating, "The Hooda family has effectively defeated the Congress in these elections. The party has become a 'Bapu Beta Party,' focusing on family politics rather than uniting the broader party." He criticised the leadership, asserting that the Hoodas are responsible for the disconnection with grassroots supporters.
Highlighting the missed opportunity, Gogi added that if Congress had positioned Kumari Selja, a prominent Dalit leader, as their candidate, it could have sent a strong message to the Dalit community about the potential for a Dalit chief minister. "Had we done so, we might not have faced this defeat," he noted.
In the Assandh constituency, Gogi lost by a narrow margin of 2,306 votes, receiving 52,455 votes compared to BJP candidate Yogender Rana, who secured 54,761 votes. The third-place candidate from the BSP, Gopal Singh, received 27,396 votes. Gogi had previously won this seat in the 2019 Assembly elections.
The results have intensified discussions about the internal dynamics of Congress in Haryana, with increasing calls for introspection and restructuring to address the issues that led to their electoral failure.
