The Congress high command on Monday named Kiran Choudhary, MlA from Tosham as leader of Congress legislative Party in the State Assembly in Haryana.
There were two strong contenders, including former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and former Cabinet Minister Randeep Singh Surjewala for the post, yet Congress president Sonia Gandhi chose Choudhary, daughter-in-law of former Chief Minister Bansi lal as leader of ClP.
Sources said while Hooda was not interested, his name did not find mention due to his tarnished image and presiding over two defeats in the lok Sabha and Assembly polls where he was given a free hand. Hooda also failed to keep all the party leaders together resulting in several senior leaders leaving the party which helped BJP.
The anti-Hooda leaders suggestion to party high command for change in guard worked as Choudhary, a Jat and non controversial leader was chosen. She is considered to be opposed to the Hooda faction in the State Congerss. Choudhary, who was a Minister in the previous Hooda Government, was chosen amid a tussle between the detractors and supporters of Hooda to wrest the leadership of the state Congress after the party not only lost power in the recent Assembly polls, but also finished third.
The anti-Hooda leaders had impressed upon the high command that the naming of the Congress legislature Party leader should be used as a political opportunity to start afresh after Hooda’s 10-year rule. Soon after Manohar lal Kattar, a non-Jat, was named chief minister as an appreciation of consolidation of the anti-Jat votes behind the BJP, the anti-Hooda camp in the state was pitching for electing a new Jat leader as head of ClP. The party has done a balancing act by appointing her as ClP leader as PCC chief of Haryana Ashok Tanwar is from Dalit community.