Selection of suitable candidate for Gurgaon lok Sabha seat seems to be no less than a challenge for Congress after sitting MP, Rao Inderjit joined BJP.
Though several local leaders are lobbying hard to get the party ticket but pressure of retaining the seat has made Congress high command weigh all options before announcing its candidate in order to give Rao Inderjit stiff competition in the poll. The BJP is yet to announce his ticket officially.
Congress had also made an unsuccessful attempt to field veteran actor, Sharmila Tagore, former chairperson of the Censor Board as its candidate from this seat to woo the voters of Pataudi region.
Gurgaon parliamentary constituency, which covers nine Assembly segments of Gurgaon, Rewari and Mewat districts, is dominated by Ahirs and Muslims voters as far as caste is concerned. That is the foremost reason which makes every political party to choose its candidates while keeping in view the caste equation.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has fielded Yogendra Yadav from this seat while the Indian National lok Dal (INlD) has pitted prominent Muslim leader from Mewat, Zakir Husain, to take the advantage of caste equation in the polls.
As far as Congress is concerned, Haryana Transport Minister Aftab Ahmad, Chief Parliamentary Secretary (CPS) Rao Daan Singh, Badshahpur MlA Rao Dharampal and Chiranjeev Rao, son of Haryana Power Minister Ajay Yadav are staking claim on the party ticket.
Yadav is openly advocating the party ticket for his son who has served as former president of the Haryana Pradesh Youth Congress (HPYC) while chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda is stated to be interested in Aftab Ahmad and CPS Rao Daan Singh.
Aftab Ahmed, a legislator from Nuh (Mewat), is the lone representative of Meo Muslim in the Haryana cabinet while CPS Daan Singh is a three-time MlA.
Among the nine assembly segments of Gurgaon lok Sabha seat, INlD and Congress each have four MlAs while Gurgaon segment is being represented by Sports Minister, Sukhbir Kataria, who won the poll as independent candidate.