Amid dissidence and revolt, Congress has released its list of 90 candidates for the Haryana Assembly elections in which former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda practically had a complete control.
The party fielded 16 sitting MLAs and the lone MLA who won't contest is Renuka Bishnoi who has opted out of the fray even though her husband Kuldeep Bishnoi would be contesting.
As expected former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda would seek a re-election from Garhi Sampla-Kiloi seat while Congress media department chief Randeep Singh Surjewala has been fielded from Kaithal.
Former State Congress president Ashok Tanwar who raised a banner of revolt on Wednesday and continued his tirade against Hooda and central leadership on Thursday would not be contesting the polls. Rajya Sabha MP Kumari Selja, who replaced Tanwar last month, also would not be in fray.
Both the sons of former Haryana Chief Minister Bhajan Lal would contest this time. Kuldeep Bishnoi from Adampur and his brother and former deputy Chief Minister Chander Mohan from Panchkula.
Congress has also accommodated the family members of former Chief Minister Bansi Lal in the list.
While his son Ranveer Mahindra has been given the ticket from Badhra seat, his daughter-in-law Kiran Chaudhary, who until last month was the Congress legislature party leader, will seek re-election from the Tosham seat. She was replaced as CLP leader by Hooda in a major reshuffle of senior posts ahead of the elections.
Former Assembly speaker Kuldeep Sharma will contest from Ganaur and former Minister Geeta Bhukkal from Jhajjar.
Another former Minister, Anand Singh Dangi, has been given the ticket from Meham. Incidentally, Dangi had filed his nomination for the seat even before the party had announced his candidature.
The party has also given a ticket to former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav’s son-in-law and former Minister Captain Ajay Yadav’s son, Chiranjeev Rao from Rewari.
Former Finance Minister Sampat Singh, who switched over to the Congress from INLD, has not been fielded. He was seeking a ticket from Nalwa, a seat that has gone to Randhir Panihar.
Among recent entrants to Congress, the party has fielded ex-INLD state chief Ashok Arora from Thanesar; former INLD MLA Pradeep Choudhry from Kalka; Jai Prakash, Independent MLA, from Kalayat and Shamsuddin from Sohna, a seat former Congress chief Ashok Tanwar today alleged had been sold.