After Himachal, Sonia, Rahul meet Haryana Congress leaders to discuss poll plan

Aditi Tandon

New Delhi, March 25

Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Friday afternoon drove to her son Rahul Gandhi’s residence to meet Haryana Congress leaders on the way forward and on the measures to be taken to prepare the party for the 2024 state elections.

Haryana Congress Chief Kumari Selja, state AICC in-charge Vivek Bansal, former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, AICC general Secretary Randeep Surjewala, former state chief Kiran Chowdhary and senior party MLAs are attending the meeting.

The meeting is along the lines of a similar exercise Sonia had with Himachal Congress leaders earlier this week to take stock of the necessary steps to win the next elections.

The party does not want a repeat of 2019 poll scenario where Hooda was given the overall election charge and Selja brought in as state chief at the last minute barely two months to go for election.

The Congress had lost the race to BJP-JJP by few seats at the time.

Sources said the Congress is equally aware of the challenges posed by AAP in Haryana, the home state of party convener Arvind Kejriwal.

The AAP has just announced a proper poll set up in the state with Delhi Greater Kailash MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj as election in-charge and Rajya Sabha MP Sushil Gupta as state in-charge.

The Congress leaders feel AAP’s landslide win in Punjab requires tweaking of Congress strategy in the bordering states of Himachal and Haryana, each going to polls later this year and in 2024 respectively.

Senior Congress leaders feel Kejriwal’s potential appeal among Haryana’s non-Jats cannot be overemphasised.

Further AAP has already extended an olive branch to Hooda’s former rival in state Congress and ex NDA minister Birender Singh, a prominent Jat leader.