Raising the momentum for upcoming Haryana State Assembly elections in 90 constituencies, the ruling State Congress party has decided to release its manifesto in the first week followed by the first list of its candidates in the second week of September.
“We have already given final touch to the manifesto and it could be released anytime in the first week of September,” said Ran Singh Mann, Haryana Congress’ spokesperson.
Sources said that the Congress high command, while taking precautionary measures to control the inter-party rift among senior State Congress leaders on leadership issue during the Assembly elections, has decided to put four photographs of senior leaders of the party, including AICC president Sonia Gandhi, vice president Rahul Gandhi, CM Haryana Bhupinder Singh Hooda and State Congress president Ashok Tanwar on the cover page of manifesto.
However, earlier, it was decided to paste only two photographs of Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Ashok Tanwar on the manifesto’s cover page to give undue importance to these leaders.
Moreover, the party had seen an adverse effect of such negative publicity in the recent lok Sabha elections, in which it had not only lost all nine parliamentary constituencies in Haryana except retaining one of Rohtak from where Chief Minister Hooda’s son was candidate.
Its several stalwarts including Gurgaon MP Rao Inderjit Singh, former MlA Dharambir Singh, Rajya Sabha MP Chaudhary Birender Singh, former minister Venod Sharma, former MP Jagbir Malik and former state minister Gopal Kanda were made to bite the dust who had openly opposed the leadership of Hooda.
On the other hand, party high command also does not want to face anti-incumbency factor, after ruling the State for consecutive two terms.
In the manifesto, the party has decided to focus on youths, farmers and employees of Haryana, hence it is including a medical college for Sirsa and a university for Fatehabad, electricity on rural domestic mode for at least 14 hours a day at all dhanis and all the recent announcements, Hooda had made in the ‘Vijay Sankalp’ rally at Panipat in its manifesto.
Regarding announcing the list of candidates, State Congress spokesman Mann confirmed that the “first list of its candidates would be declared in the second week of September”.
Though, PC Chacko, head of the screening committee for candidates for upcoming Assembly elections had already briefed party president Sonia Gandhi and vice president Rahul Gandhi about the candidates, the winnability of possible candidates is yet to be finally discussed with the Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Ashok Tanwar.
This time, as compared to 8,000 during the previous time, around 1,200 aspirant candidates have applied for the ticket including sitting MlAs and some new faces to contest the assembly elections. It is expected that the party would give chance to several youth and new faces this time, who may give tough fight to the candidates of opposite parties.
However, Hooda had also hinted that sitting MlAs or MPs should not think that their tickets are confirmed this time.
Former MPs Shruti Chaudhary, daughter of Kiran Chaudhary, who had lost her Mahendergarh Bhiwani seat in recent lok Sabha elections, had already refused to contest assembly elections this time.
Many other Hooda loyalists, who are quite sure about their ticket for elections has already started their campaigns in their constituencies. Transport minister Aftab Ahmed, on Sunday in Mewat, has promised for gross development in the area, if he wins the seat from here this time.