Randeep Singh Surjewala brings together Congress’s warring factions

JIND: Congress party media in charge Randeep Singh Surjewala’s entry into Jind contest apparently brought leaders of various factions of the party together on Thursday. It was probably for the first time in recent past that almost all prominent leaders of a faction-ridden Haryana Congress gathered together as Surjewala filed his nomination.

The move by the Congress, of fielding Surjewala, is being seen as an attempt to project strength before the upcoming Lok Sabha and the state assembly elections at the end of the year. Meanwhile, the stage for high voltage contest with candidates from all the major political party filing their nomination on Thursday.

While filing nomination on Thursday, the Congress tried to reflect strength with leader from every faction — former Haryana CM Bhupender Singh Hooda, Congress state president Ashok Tanwar, Kuldeep Bishnoi, Kumari Selja, CLP leader Kiran Chaudhry, and Capt Ajay Yadav, in attendenace.

BJP candidate Krishan Midha also filed his nomination in presence of state president Subhash Barala, ministers Rambilash Sharma, Manish Grover and Karan Dev Kamboj, Uchana MLA Prem Lata, state convener Sanjay Bhatia. Krishan Midha is son of INLD MLA late Hari Chand Midha and the seat had fallen vacant after his sudden demise. Within a month of his father’s death, Krishan had joined BJP. While talking to TOI, Krishan said that he would seek votes from public only on development issue in the constituency and would bring in industry within the short span of a few months.

While talking to TOI, Hooda said that BJP government was a failure so the Congress was sure to win this election. Replying to a question on S N Dhingra panel report being shelved by the Punjab and Haryana high court, he said that he respected the decision of the court and he had been telling all along that the case was political vendetta by BJP.

CLP leader Chaudhry said that for wining this election everyone had come together as it was about the party. She said she would remain in the constituency till polling and had started meeting with workers. Surjewala started his campaigning soon after the nomination and visited Bhim Rao Ambedkar’s statue at Rani Talab in Jind and then local worker’s houses.