The Haryana Congress has lost several of its stalwarts in the recent past, weakening the party considerably in the run-up to the Assembly polls in October this year. Rao Inderjit Singh, now a Union Minister in the Narendra Modi Cabinet, showed the way by leaving the party and joining the BJP. He had raised a banner of revolt against Hooda before joining the saffron party. He was followed by chief parliamentary secretary Dharambir Singh from Sohna, who joined the BJP and now is the MP from Bhiwani-Mahendragarh constituency. Two of these seven BJP MPs in Haryana were inducted from the Congress at the last moment.
Even Hooda’s close friend, Ambala City MlA Vinod Sharma left the Congress before the lok Sabha polls and is now expected to join the BJP. He has already formed a regional party.
Besides, Hooda is facing tough challenge from some of the veterans in the party. Chaudhary Birender Singh and Kumari Selja along with their supporters had been raising questions on the working of Hooda before party high command from time to time. Birender is expected to join the BJP anytime now as sources insist that he is in touch with the party leaders in Delhi.
Selja, who escaped being decimated by the Modi wave, got elected to the Rajya Sabha. She has been a vocal critic of Hooda’s style of functioning.