Factionalism at play; Congress yet to choose CLP leader, party chief

The upcoming session of the Haryana Legislative Assembly, starting on November 13, will be held without the Leader of the Opposition (LoP), as the Congress has yet to appoint a leader for its Legislative Party (CLP). This unique situation follows the Congress's third consecutive electoral defeat in Haryana, despite a narrow vote margin; the BJP led the Congress by only 0.85 per cent. However, the BJP's strategic lead translated into 48 seats, just above the halfway mark, while the Congress secured 37 seats in the 90-member Assembly.

High command’s focus on Maharashtra, Jharkhand poll

The CLP leader is expected to become the LoP and challenge the state government, yet the Assembly session will proceed without one, as the high command’s focus is currently on the Maharashtra and Jharkhand elections. Senior Congress leader

While the factional war between Sirsa MP and former Union minister Kumari Selja and former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda is delaying the announcement of the CLP leader, party leaders are maintaining that it would be announced after the Maharashtra and Jharkhand poll.

Questioned about the delay, Hooda responded, "Our senior leaders are occupied with Maharashtra and Jharkhand elections. We’ve already passed a resolution allowing the high command to appoint the CLP leader."

The internal strife intensified recently when party president Udai Bhan expelled Balmukund Sharma for six years after Sharma claimed in a televised debate that five-time MLA Chander Mohan (from Selja camp) and four-time MLA Ashok Arora (from Hooda camp) were contenders while suggesting Hooda was out of the race.

Alongside accusations of EVM tampering and misuse of state resources by the BJP, internal rifts within the Congress have been highlighted as factors to the party's loss. Factionalism, particularly between Hooda and Selja, remains a source of tension. The high command faces the challenge of balancing these factions.

If the CLP leadership goes to Hooda or his camp, the state party presidency could go to a member of the Selja group.

The Congress has deployed a team of senior leaders—including former Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot, national treasurer Ajay Maken, former Chhattisgarh deputy CM TS Singh Deo, and Punjab Legislative Assembly LoP Partap Singh Bajwa—to consult MLAs on their preference for the CLP leader.

During discussions on October 18, over 30 of the 37 MLAs expressed confidence in Hooda. However, they passed a resolution authorising the party high command to select the CLP leader.

"A month has passed since the resolution, and still no announcement has been made. The CLP leader is expected to become the LoP and challenge the state government, yet the session will proceed without one, as the high command’s focus is currently on Maharashtra and Jharkhand poll," remarked a five-time Congress MLA, on condition of anonymity.

"Maintaining a caste balance in choosing the CLP leader and state party president is critical," noted a Congress MLA from Hooda’s camp. "Since 2007, the party president's post has been held by a Dalit leader (Phool Chand Mullana, Ashok Tanwar, Selja and Udai Bhan), while Jat leaders like Hooda and Kiran Choudhry (now with BJP) have led the CLP."

He added, "Hooda was CM from 2005 to 2014, and after the 2014 defeat, Kiran became the CLP leader, although the announcement was delayed. Just before the 2019 elections, Hooda returned as LoP and has remained the CLP leader since."

As state president, Udai Bhan lost the recent Assembly election from Hodal and is likely to be replaced.

Meanwhile, while taking a dig at the Congress, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mahipal Dhanda said, “To date, they have not even been able to select an LoP. People not only look to the government but also opposition leaders to raise their concerns. Without an LoP, what can the public expect from them?”