As the Haryana Assembly results threw a fractured verdict, Congress leader and former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, who retained his stronghold Garhi Sampla Kiloi seat on Thursday appealed to all opposition parties to join hands to keep the ruling BJP at bay. "We invite all the smaller parties and independents to join hands with the Congress and form a stable Government," he said. "I have got calls that independents are being stopped from joining us.
This should not happen and we will approach the EC (Election Commission) against it. This is a vote against the Khattar Government, against unemployment in the State. Most Ministers have lost the election," he added.Hooda defeated BJP's Satish Nandal, who recently joined the BJP after defecting from the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD).
The impressive performance by the Congress in the Haryana Assembly polls has been credited to Hooda who virtually compelled the party leadership to project him as the party's face in the polls.