Former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and his son Deepender Hooda achieved a significant breakthrough for the Haryana Congress by persuading at least 10 major rebels to withdraw their candidacies on the final day of withdrawing nominations. As the Congress aims to regain power after a decade, it continues to face dissent from several influential leaders who were overlooked in the ticket selection process.
Rohtak MP Deepender Deepender Hooda personally visited the homes of two key dissenters from Ambala City, Jabir Mallaur and Hemmat Singh, to convince them to withdraw their nominations. The discontent among these leaders began after the decision to award the ticket to Nirmal Singh, a four-time MLA associated with the Hooda faction.
In a notable development, Sampat Singh, a six-time MLA and former State Finance Minister, had filed his nomination as an independent candidate from the Nalwa constituency against the official party nominee, Anil Mann. However, in a dramatic turn, Singh also withdrew his nomination at the last moment.
Former Chief Parliamentary Secretary (CPS) Ram Kishan Fouji, another rebel, withdrew his candidacy from Bawani Khera (SC) after losing the ticket to Pradeep Narwal this time, following two consecutive electoral defeats. In Hansi, Prem Singh Malik, Suman Sharma, and Naresh from the Hooda camp also withdrew their nominations in favor of the official candidate Rahul Makkar, who is also aligned with the Hooda faction.
The withdrawal of these nominations by several former ministers and prominent leaders is seen as a major success for the Congress party and a boost for their electoral prospects. Sources suggest that the remaining 20 or so leaders who had filed their nominations do not have a strong base and are unlikely to pose a serious challenge to the party.
(Inputs from Vijay Laxmi)
