Dominated by Hooda loyalists, Cong list has 26 Jats, 20 BCs, seven Punjabis
Factionalism within the Congress delayed its lists for 48 candidates, with former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s faction going for last-minute changes. As many as 44 candidates from the 2019 state Assembly elections list have been dropped.
The party has finally put up candidates in 89 constituencies as the Bhiwani seat goes to the Communist Party of India (Marxist).
The last date for filing nominations was September 12. The party’s third list came half an hour before midnight on Wednesday (September 11) while the fourth one came at 2 am on Thursday, and for the remaining three seats, the announcement was made during the day.
The Hooda faction could secure 78 candidates while 11 belonged to Selja and Randeep Surjewala factions. However, Hooda couldn’t secure a ticket for Chitra Sarwara from Ambala Cantonment though she was first runner-up in 2019 with 44,406 votes despite being an Independent candidate. She has now filed nomination as an Independent.
This time, the Congress has given tickets to 26 Jats, 17 Scheduled Castes (SCs), three Jat Sikhs, five Muslims including Akram Khan from Jagadhri, 20 Backward Classes (BCs) including Gujjars and Ahirs, seven Punjabis, five Brahmins, two Baniyas, and one each from Bishnoi, Ror, Rajput and Sikh communities. This implies that over 29 per cent of tickets have gone to Jats, the core vote bank of the party, and just over 19 per cent to SCs as 17 seats are reserved for them and close to 23 per cent to BCs.
On the other hand, the BJP, eyeing non-Jat and OBCs votes, has given tickets to five Baniyas, two Bishnois, 11 Brahmins, one Jat Sikh, 11 Punjabis, three Rajputs, two Rors, 20 BCs, two Muslims, 17 SCs and 16 Jats. It implies the saffron party has given close to 38 per cent of tickets to non-Jat upper caste Hindus and over 22 per cent to BCs.
In the 2019 Assembly poll, Congress had relied on 27 Jats, 20 BCs, 17 SCs, six Muslims, three Punjabis, five Brahmins, two Bishnois, five Baniyas, two Rajputs, two Sikhs and one Jat Sikh.
While the party has named all the sitting 28 MLAs, the candidates in those seats where it has not won in the last two or three polls have been replaced. Among the new faces who have been fielded, who were not on the 2019 candidates list of Congress, include Raman Tyagi, an industrialist, from Yamunanagar.
Hooda loyalist four-time MLA Nirmal Singh has been fielded from Ambala City. He was denied ticket in 2019 and had contested as an Independent but was first runner-up.
From Pundri, Congress dropped Satbir Bhana for Sultan Singh Jadola who had won the seat as an Independent in 2009.
Former MLA Rakesh Kamboj, who was first runner-up from Indri in 2019, replaced Dr Navjot Kashyap who had come third.
Two-time MLA Sumita Virk has replaced Tarlochan Singh who has lost twice in previous polls from Karnal.
Five-time MLA Balbir Pal Shah’s brother Varinder Kumar Shah has been preferred from Panipat City.
The party has not won from Jind in four previous elections. It has opted for Mahabir Gupta who was first runner-up on JJP ticket in 2019.
Former MLA Balwan Singh Daulatpuria has replaced Prahlad Singh Gillankhera from Fatehabad who was fourth in 2014 and third in 2019 elections. In Sirsa, Congress has chosen Gokul Setia, maternal grandson of former minister Lachhman Dass Arora, who was first runner-up in 2019 despite being an Independent.
