Sabotage claims rock Congress after election setback

Three Congress candidates have accused some party leaders of sabotaging their chances during the recent elections, blaming internal conspiracies for their defeat. The candidates have reported the alleged sabotage to the party’s central leadership and demanded action against those involved in anti-party activities.

Ram Niwas Ghorela, Congress candidate from Barwala and a former MLA, pointed fingers at several leaders from Hisar district. He specifically named Hisar MP Jai Prakash, his brother and former MLA Randhir Singh Dheera, former Zila Parishad chairperson Rajender Sura, and former Zila Parishad member Krishan Satrod as those who conspired against him. “These leaders worked against me, which hurt the party’s prospects. I have substantial evidence to back my claims and have submitted it to the party leadership during a meeting reviewing the reasons for our loss,” Ghorela stated.

He further alleged that these leaders urged their supporters to vote for INLD candidate Sanjana Satrod, citing viral videos on social media as proof of anti-party activities. Ghorela also accused Satender Saharan and Tejvir Punia of harming the party’s chances. Responding to the allegations, Krishan Satrod, one of the accused, denied the claims, saying, “I am a dedicated Congress worker. Ghorela should present evidence to back his accusations.” He also pointed out that Ghorela had contested the previous 2019 Assembly election as a rebel, leading to the party’s defeat in Barwala at that time.

Anil Maan, the Congress candidate from Nalwa, also accused a senior leader, former minister Sampat Singh, of working against him. “Sampat Singh was disappointed when his son Gaurav Sampat Singh didn’t get the party ticket. He then actively opposed me during the campaign, which caused significant damage,” Maan claimed. He has presented these concerns to the central leadership and also attributed his loss to irregularities with EVMs.

Ram Niwas Rara, the Congress candidate from Hisar, echoed similar sentiments, stating that his defeat was due to sabotage by fellow party leaders. “Some Congress leaders ensured my defeat. One group within the party worked to sabotage the campaign,” he said. Rara expressed disappointment that only Kumari Selja supported his campaign, adding that he had requested a rally led by Rahul Gandhi, which never materialised. He also mentioned that despite visiting Congress leader Bajrang Das Garg three times, Garg did not join his campaign efforts.