New Delhi:

The Haryana election result is a “big setback for the Congress”, senior leader and one-time chief ministerial hopeful Kumari Selja told NDTV Tuesday afternoon. “…very disappointing,” she said.

“I was very excited in the morning… we had expected to win up to 60 (of Haryana’s 90 Assembly seats), so this result is a big setback for us. We will assess the reasons for our defeat… there can be many… and see how these can be overcome for future elections,” the senior leader told NDTV.

Ms Selja offered a brief analysis of the Congress’ poor showing despite a feeling of anti-incumbency against the Bharatiya Janata Party. “See… before the election there were two factors – BJP’s negative (image) and the Congress as a credible option. We were wrong in (assuming) both these things.”

“We will have to look at all these factors,” Ms Selja told NDTV, also seeming to take a swipe at state rival Bhupinder Hooda, “Ticket distribution was also an issue (but) what can we say about this now?”

READ | Infighting To Jat Focus: 5 Factors In Congress’ Haryana Setback

The Congress – bidding to stop the BJP from a third consecutive win in the Hindi heartland state – got off to a flying start, posting strong gains in early leads drawn from postal ballots.

These prompted celebrations at the party’s HQ in Delhi and in the state, with enthusiastic supporters distributing jalebis and bursting firecrackers. But the ruling party mounted a thrilling comeback.

READ | BJP Heads For Big Win In Haryana Thriller, 3rd Term Preps On

By about 9 am the BJP had overhauled and overtaken its rival, and has not looked back since; Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party is now set to record its biggest ever election victory in the state.

The rapid and unsettling turnaround in the Congress’ fortunes in Haryana – in which it battled the BJP to a draw, sharing the state’s 10 Lok Sabha seats – has played out against a backdrop of internal bickering, led by dispute between Ms Selja and Bhupinder Hooda over the Chief Minister’s post.

Ms Selja and Mr Hooda have both made no secret of their ambitions.

Kumari Selja vs Bhupinder Hooda

Hours earlier, just as the Congress’ hold on the result was slipping away, Ms Selja spoke to NDTV. “Yes. I am among the contenders… but the final decision is with the party high command,” she said.

READ | “CM Decision With High Command”: Congress’ Kumari Selja To NDTV

Meanwhile, the 77-year-old Mr Hooda is raring for a third term; he made it clear to news agency PTI he is “neither tired nor retired” but also said the party HQ, and its elected MLAs, will take the call.

There was significant buzz in Haryana political circles last month after Ms Selja seemed to be in a funk; a prominent state leader with influence over the Dalit vote, she delayed campaigning for the party.

There was speculation she was unhappy with the way candidates were chosen; these seemed to favour loyalists of Bhupinder Hooda. She was also unhappy, it was said, at being taken for granted.

READ | “Should Never Be Doubt…”: Congress’ Kumari Selja On BJP Rumours

One of the issues flagged was that Ms Selja had made it clear she wanted to contest the state poll, but that was overruled by the party HQ and she was fielded from (and won) the Sirsa Lok Sabha seat.

She later told NDTV, “I wanted to contest… party didn’t allow. That is ok…”, but then warned of “issues… serious issues” that need to be resolved within the Congress’ state unit.

“It was never intended I shall remain absent (from the campaign) throughout. I will campaign…” she also said, “…because I am a party solider. I’ve always said I am a good soldier.”

What Hooda Said

Last week Mr Hooda dismissed “hypothetical questions” and underlined his position on the chief ministerial race – that the final decision will be taken by the Congress’ central leadership.

But more telling was his response to a question on Kumari Selja becoming the Congress’ next Haryana Chief Minister. “This is a democracy… everybody should aspire. But the MLAs will decide…” he said.

The reference to MLAs deciding is key because a majority of them are understood to be loyal to the former Chief Minister, Ms Selja has already said it is “not healthy” for state lawmakers to be involved in the selection of a Chief Minister; “I think the ‘high command’ should decide, otherwise people get tied down and that, I feel, also leads to further factionalism,” she told NDTV this week.

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New Delhi:

Congress MP Kumari Selja has confirmed she is a contender for the post of Chief Minister – if her party wins the 2024 Haryana Assembly election. Speaking to NDTV Ms Selja smiled and said, “Yes. I am among the contenders to be Chief Minister… but the final decision is with the party high command.”

Ms Selja also said the people of Haryana “know their future is (with the) Congress”. “The electorate looks at their future… and they know their future is Congress,” she said Tuesday morning, confident that Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra and effort by workers on the ground will translate into a win.

On her party’s chances of upsetting the Bharatiya Janata Party – which is bidding for a third consecutive win in the Hindi heartland state – Ms Selja said, “It is natural to have fatigue (referring to the anti-incumbency vote)… there was also the BJP’s misrule. That was a big factor.”

The Congress had raced into an early lead as postal ballots and early votes were counted, but it was soon pegged back, with the ruling party then crossing the halfway mark soon after.

The party, though, remains confident it will eventually prevail. Ms Selja said, “As counting progresses, we will win more than 60 Assembly seats and Congress will form the government.”

The race to form the Haryana government is, of course, the big story.

Kumari Selja vs Bhupinder Hooda?

But there is a subplot within the Congress camp, with senior leaders Ms Selja and Bhupinder Hooda going head-to-head to be named Chief Minister. Mr Hooda is raring for a third term; he made it clear he is “neither tired nor retired” but also said the party HQ, and its elected MLAs, will take the call.

Ms Selja – who won the Sirsa Lok Sabha seat in the April-June election – was earlier more circumspect, having told NDTV last month, “Why should I ‘stake claim’? Why should it be about ‘staking claim’?”

READ | “Haryana Can Give Me Space”: Kumari Selja, Day After Exit Polls

She suggested the choice should reflect “who works hard and is committed to the people”.

There was significant buzz in Haryana political circles last month after Ms Selja seemed to be in a funk; a prominent state leader with influence over the Dalit vote, she was not seen campaigning.

There was speculation she was unhappy with the way candidates were chosen; these seemed to favour loyalists of Bhupinder Hooda. She was also unhappy, it was said, at being taken for granted.

One of the issues flagged was that Ms Selja had made it clear she wanted to contest the state poll, but that was overruled by the party HQ and she was fielded from (and won) the Sirsa Lok Sabha seat.

She later told NDTV, “I wanted to contest… party didn’t allow. That is ok…”, but then warned of “issues… serious issues” that need to be resolved within the Congress’ state unit.

All of this led the BJP to declare she had been “disrespected”.

There was also an ‘invitation’, proffered by ex-Chief Minister ML Khattar, who declared “any self-respecting person” in her shoes would consider their next steps.

However, speaking to NDTV Ms Selja laughed off such talk and invited the BJP, instead, to “first set their own house in order”. “How much respect do they give (to Dalits) …”

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New Delhi:

Congress MP Kumari Selja told NDTV today she is confident her party will cross 60 seats in Haryana. An aggregate of seven exit polls have indicated the Congress will win 55 of Haryana’s 90 seats – comfortably ahead of the halfway mark of 46.

Health warning: exit polls often get it wrong.

With the forecast of a Congress win in Haryana, the focus has moved to who would be the next Chief Minister. Former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Randeep Surjewala, and Ms Selja herself have made their ambition known to the public, much before the election. This had raised a situation of infighting.

Ms Selja has made it clear she is very much in the race for the top post, but it won’t be through the traditional “staking claim” optics.

“Every state has groups. It is a part of politics. Why point fingers at Haryana or my party? This has been there, not just during elections. On the ground all of us have worked hard together,” Ms Selja told NDTV.

She denied she would push her way through to stake claim for the top post. “Why should I stake claim? Stay away from this mindset, that people stake claim. We have a level of seniority, who work hard on the ground, and are committed to the party. Such people should be considered. Why should it be about staking claim…” the Congress MP said.

Ms Selja is not amenable to the idea of making MLAs select the Chief Minister, as according to her this could lead to more factionalism. Instead, the high command should take the big decision, she said.

“I have always felt in all these years, including during discussions with the high command, that a national party has to take a political view on things. And that is what should be the main consideration in choosing people, anytime, anywhere, any post, as to what we want to do, what we want to show, what we want to present. Apart from that, it is always the high command’s last word which counts,” she said.

“I feel even at that time and this time, counting MLAs etc is not a healthy thing for any party. I think it is the high command which should take a decision. Otherwise people get tied down… that I feel also leads to further factionalism,” Ms Selja added.

She asked people to come out from the mindset that sees voters as compartmentalised entities and not supportive of one another. Ms Selja, who is a Dalit, said people from all sections of society in Haryana support her.

“Haryana can give me space. It is you people who have to come out of the mindset that Haryana is like this, Haryana is like that. I can assure you that I have support from all sections of society. Don’t fall into this trap, propagated by vested interests. Move away and move forward,” she said.

“All sections have supported the party. Dalits have supported. Not just them, others also. We have to move away from dominance of one segment because that’s also not doing any justice to that one segment. You’re isolating them and that doesn’t help,” Ms Selja said.

The aggregate of exit polls shows the BJP could end up with 27 seats each in Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir.  One exit poll, Jist-TIF Research, gave the BJP an outside margin of 37 seats – the maximum – in Haryana.

Counting is on Tuesday.

A video of a woman being touched inappropriately on stage, with Congress’ Deepender Hooda and other leaders present, has teed up fresh trouble for the Congress.

The BJP, sharing the undated video, was quick to use the incident to allege that the rival party’s “Ladki hoon lad sakti hoon slogan” is just rhetoric. The trouble compounded for the Congress when Kumari Selja, its prominent Dalit face and a Chief Minister hopeful, said the woman told her that “someone misbehaved with her”.

A hand appears from behind and reaches for the woman standing next to Deepinder Hooda, shows the video. A Congress member quickly pushes the hand away. The short clip is being played on loop in the video shared by the BJP. 

Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini also stressed that if a complaint was filed, they would take action.

“They don’t respect anyone including women, the poor, and Dalits. This is in their culture and DNA. If we get an application in this regard, then we will take action. Our government will take strict action and not spare anyone. Women are an integral part of the society,” he said.

The incident comes as voting ends in Haryana. The BJP is looking to secure a hat-trick, while the Congress hopes to make a comeback in the state.

Kumari Selja, who spoke to the woman, condemned the incident, adding that action should be taken against those involved.

“I spoke to her, she told me that some people were touching her and trying to remove her from the stage. We saw the same in the video as well and when I confirmed this with her, she told me that someone misbehaved with her. If something like this happens to a woman today, it is highly condemnable. Action should be taken on this,” said Ms Selja.

#WATCH | Hisar, Haryana: On an alleged molestation attempt with a Congress worker on stage at a Congress rally, Congress MP Kumari Selja says “I spoke to her, she told me that some people were touching her and trying to remove her from the stage. We saw the same in the video as… pic.twitter.com/fahDEoDVQ1

— ANI (@ANI) October 5, 2024

BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla also posted on X and termed the incident as “most shocking.”

“A woman congress leader was molested on stage in the presence of Deepender Hooda by congress leaders. Confirmed by news reports and even Kumari Selja. If women are not safe in Congress meetings in full public view during the daytime – can they be safe if Congress comes to power?” said Mr Poonawalla.

New Delhi:

With exit polls predicting a Congress win in Haryana, the focus has moved to who would be the next Chief Minister.

Health warning: exit polls often get it wrong.

Former Chief Minister and Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda said if it comes to deciding the next Chief Minister, that’s a call the “high command” would take.

There are 90 seats in the Haryana assembly, so the halfway mark is 46. Most exit polls predicted the Congress would likely win between 44 and 61 seats.

Asked about senior leaders Kumari Selja and Randeep Surjewala also airing their chief ministerial ambitions, Hooda said, 

“We are expecting to win many more seats. Under the BJP, law and order has become worse, corruption has increased, and sports have not been spared too,” Mr Hooda told NDTV today.

On a question to a buzz about some Congress leaders working on a cabinet formation plan, Mr Hooda said, “The high command will decide. These are hypothetical questions.”

Senior leaders Kumari Selja and Randeep Surjewala have also made their chief ministerial ambitions known. On whether Ms Selja would become the next Chief Minister, Mr Hooda said, “This is democracy. Everybody should aspire. You can also aspire. But the MLAs will decide, the high command will decide.”

During a rally on September 27, Mr Hooda had predicted a “massive mandate” for the Congress in Haryana. He dismissed talks of infighting, and said the party would get more strength from having multiple claimants for the chief minister’s post.

Hisar (Haryana):

As the polling for 90 assembly constituencies in Haryana began today, Congress MP Kumari Selja said that the BJP is ready to welcome her because they are already “very weak”.

Speaking to media persons after casting her vote at a polling booth in Hisar, Ms Selja said, “Today’s fight will change the fate of Haryana. Although this is a one-sided contest… BJP is ready to welcome me because they are already very weak. They will do anything to have strong leaders with them… We will win all 90 seats.”

When asked about the speculations of a rift within Congress in the state, she said, “At the end of the day, our party high command makes decisions.”

Earlier on Friday, in an interview with ANI, she said she was a senior leader with enough weight to be considered a front-runner for the top post.

“See, that only high command will have to answer, they will only decide. There are a few people who would be in the consideration zone, and I think Selja would be there. Seniority mein, kaam mein, in sab cheezon mein nam aur politics aur ye political decisions ye toh high command dekhega (the high command would look at the seniority, work done, and everything else. These political decisions would be taken by high command,” Ms Selja told ANI.

“Toh aise mein Selja ko high command nazar andaz toh nahi karega (So the Party high command can’t ignore Selja),” she added

Over two crore people are eligible to vote in the Haryana Assembly elections today, which will decide whether the BJP will hold on to power for the third time or the Congress will return to power after a ten-year gap.

The Haryana assembly election is a high-stakes battle as the BJP is eyeing a third straight term to power in the state, the Congress party is aiming to wrest back power riding on anti-incumbency, and issues of farmer protests and wrestler protests.

The key contesting parties in Haryana include the BJP, Congress, and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), as well as the pre-poll alliance between the Indian National Lok Dal-Bahujan Samaj Party (INLD-BSP) and the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP)-Azad Samaj Party (ASP). Voting in Haryana started at 7 am and will conclude at 6 pm.

A total of 1,031 candidates are contesting in all 90 assembly constituencies, and 20,632 polling booths have been set up for voting. The results for the Haryana Assembly elections will be declared along with those of Jammu and Kashmir on October 8.

In the 2019 Assembly elections, the BJP won 40 of the 90 seats, forming a coalition government with the JJP, which won 10 seats. The Congress secured 31 seats. However, JJP later broke out of the coalition.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Congress MP Kumari Selja set the record straight Monday amid rumours she is sulking and has opted to not campaign for the Haryana election – because she was not allowed to contest – telling NDTV “there should never be any doubts” about her commitment to the party and state.

Ms Selja called herself a “loyal worker…good soldier” and said she will hit campaign starting this week, telling NDTV, “It was never intended I shall remain absent (from the campaign) throughout. I will campaign… because I am a party solider. I’ve always said I am a good soldier.”

She did, however, acknowledge “there are issues… serious issues” that need to be resolved. She did not provide specifics but said the Congress senior leadership “is working on” the problems.

“I made it very clear… even before the Lok Sabha election… I want to serve the people of Haryana as a legislator rather than MP. But the general election came first. So the party decided, I decided, we all decided, that I should contest that election,” she told NDTV.

“But that didn’t mean one can’t contest the Vidhan Sabha election… there can always be a bypoll for the Lok Sabha seat. But now that is a separate issue. I wanted to contest… party didn’t allow. That is ok,” she said.

She did, though, suggest her contesting the state election would have sent a “strong message” and that the Congress could have benefitted from her candidature, but waved aside any talk of infighting, saying, “… in any case, the party will form the (state) government.”

There were rumours Kumari Selja had fallen out with the Congress’ Delhi HQ over her desire to contest the Haryana election. The 61-year-old won the Sirsa Lok Sabha seat in the April-June general election but also wanted to contest the state election, a wish that was refused.

Had she won it would have triggered a bypoll for the Lok Sabha seat, and the Congress, it is understood, is unwilling to risk losing one of its 99 seats.

READ | “Always Possibilities”: Kumari Selja’s Signal On Haryana Top Job

A senior Dalit leader – who has twice served as a union minister – she was seen by many as a contender for the Chief Minister’s post, if the Congress were to win next month’s election.

All of this led the BJP to declare she had been “disrespected”.

There was also an ‘invitation’, proffered by ex-Chief Minister ML Khattar, who declared “any self-respecting person” in her shoes would consider their next steps. Mr Khattar’s successor, Nayab Singh Saini, then criticised the Congress for being “anti-Dalit… for not respecting Dalits”.

READ | “Only She Can Answer”: Khattar On Buzz Of Kumari Selja In BJP

However, speaking to NDTV this afternoon Ms Selja laughed off such talk and invited the BJP, instead, to “first set their own house in order”. “How much respect do they give (to Dalits) …”

Speaking separately to news agency PTI, she quipped “maybe the BJP is more worried”.

Talk of her jumping ship was also dismissed by the Congress’ candidate for the Uchana Kalan Assembly seat, Brijendra Singh, who hit out at the BJP’s “shop of lies”.

Voting for the 90-member Haryana Assembly will be held on October 5. Votes will be counted on October 8, with those from Jammu and Kashmir’s first Assembly election in a decade.

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Karnal (Haryana):

Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar responded to speculation about Congress leader Kumari Selja joining the BJP, saying, “Only she can answer” regarding her intentions.

He suggested that after the treatment she has received from the Congress party, any self-respecting individual would contemplate their next steps.

Mr Khattar’s comments highlight the growing tension surrounding Kumari Selja’s position within Congress as the Haryana elections approach.

“When she will join the BJP, only she can answer this. The kind of behaviour that I have heard about her, the way Congress has treated her, after that any self-respecting person will definitely think about his next step,” Mr Khattar said.

Earlier on Saturday, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini took a dig at Congress over apparent internal differences and reports in sections of the media about its senior leader Kumari Selja not visible in the assembly poll campaign for a few days and alleged that the main opposition party “does not respect Dalits.”

He said Kumari Selja, who is an MP from Sirsa, is a leader, and if she wanted to become the Chief Minister, what crime has she committed.

He alleged that she has been insulted. “Congress is anti-Dalit, Congress does not respect Dalits. If any Dalit leader wants to move forward in Congress, Congress crushes that leader. Kumari Selja is not a small leader, she is a very big leader of Congress, a big leader of Dalits… She is a leader, if she wanted to become the Chief Minister, what crime did she commit? The Congress party is stuck in nepotism, they do not think beyond nepotism,” the Chief Minister said on speculation that Kumari Selja may join the BJP.

However, Congress candidate from Uchana Kalan assembly constituency Brijendra Singh dismissed any speculation of Kumari Selja leaving the party. He alleged that the BJP is “facing frustration” in Haryana elections.

“Kumari Selja is one of the very senior leaders, there is no point in saying such things about her. She will contribute fully to Congress in this election… BJP is a shop of lies,” Brijendra Singh said.

Kumari Selja, a former Union Minister, is seen to be bete noire of Congress leader and former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. She was not present when the Congress released its seven guarantees for Haryana at a press conference at the AICC headquarters.

Former Haryana Chief Minister and BJP leader Manohar Lal Khattar earlier did not rule out the possibility of senior leaders leaving Congress in run up to the Haryana polls.

Voting for the 90-member legislative assembly in Haryana will be held on October 5. Votes will be counted on October 8 along with that in Jammu and Kashmir.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Senior Congress leader and former Union minister Kumari Selja — seen as a contender for the top job in Haryana in case of a Congress victory in the coming assembly election — told NDTV today that there are “always possibilities in the country”. But she amended that comment with “it is the decision of the high command only after the elections”.

The Congress, she told NDTV in an exclusive interview, is not only strong, but is in a very strong position. “I am confident that we will form government with a very good majority,” she added.

But this time, Kumari Selja and Randeep Singh Surjewala, two of the most prominent faces of the party, have not been given ticket for Haryana.

With an eye on the Lok Sabha numbers, the Congress has made it clear that said that no MP will be given ticket for the state election this time.
Kumari Selja said she has “already said that it is our wish that we contest the election”. But the final decision in this too, lies with the “high command”, she said.

“If we take our decision, then it is not right…. It will be their decision based on what seems politically right, what message to give in the state… the high command will decide taking all that into consideration,” she added.

Asked about her not getting along with the party’s veteran leader and former Chief Minister Bhupinder Hooda, Kumari Selja said, “Getting along or not — this does not happen in politics”.

“In politics, everyone has their own way of working, and our party is a democratic party. It is not the BJP or a regional party… There is room for everyone here and everyone is respected, everyone can put forward their own views,” she added.