Haryana Assembly Elections 2024 | Selja fires the first salvo in Congress camp

New Delhi: The wounds in Haryana Congress will reopen as the party lost the Assembly polls for the third time with senior leader Kumari Selja on Tuesday insisting that the High Command should identify those responsible for negating the chance to win back its former bastion.

Selja opened the fire first while expressing concerns over the pain of party workers who were expecting the party to return to power in Haryana after a decade and aimed at her bete noire Bhupinder Singh Hooda, who dominated the party machinery in the state, without naming him.

The Sirsa MP had been upset over the Hooda faction cornering the maximum number of seats while denying tickets to her supporters in areas of her influence.

She had refused to campaign for almost ten days and finally joined electioneering only towards the last week after top leader Rahul Gandhi started the campaign.

As the results poured which painted a dismal picture for the party, Selja said "it will not be business as usual", as she called for introspection on the reasons for the party's debacle.

"The Haryana poll results are disappointing and I am pained at the disappointment of the Congress workers in the state who have worked very hard and were looking forward to forming their government after 10 years. It will not be business as usual in Haryana and I am sure the Congress high command would identify those who negated the efforts to bring the party to power after 10 years,” she told reporters.

While Selja did not take any names, it was clear who she was aiming at. Selja, a senior Dalit leader, and Hooda were at loggerheads in Haryana Congress and during Lok Sabha elections, only Selja could manage a ticket from her camp while eight seats were grabbed by Hooda for his supporters.

When Hooda was asked about Selja blaming lack of co-ordination in the party for the loss, the former Chief Minister shot back asking who is responsible for ensuring coordination. Selja had flagged factors like taking everyone along and ensuring coordination among all leaders as basic for ensuring victory.

Earlier, Selja had met both party chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi to express her reservations over the way in which the party affairs were being carried out in Haryana by Hooda.

"I am sure the party will look into all aspects that led to such results in Haryana," Selja added.

Haryana Assembly poll 2024 results| Check constituency results here

J&K Assembly poll 2024 results| Check constituency results here

Assembly Elections 2024 | In the first assembly polls since the Lok Sabha elections, Narendra Modi and the BJP face a rejuvenated and vindicated Opposition in the Haryana assembly polls. Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir is voting after almost a decade and it remains to be seen how the abrogation of Article 370 has impacted the political landscape of the Valley. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.

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