Haryana Election 2024 / How did Congress pacify angry Selja just before Rahul's rally?

Haryana Election 2024: Amid the ongoing election battle in Haryana, senior Congress leader Kumari Selja, who was angry for the last 13 days, has now returned to the election campaign after resolving her differences with the Congress high command. Selja will now hold fierce rallies in favor of Congress candidates, which she is going to start with Rahul Gandhi's Assandh public meeting.

Sailja's displeasure: What was the reason?

The main reason for Kumari Selja's displeasure was the neglect of her supporters in the ticket distribution. Some of the names that were announced in public by Selja did not get tickets. Especially, the cancellation of Ajay Chaudhary's ticket from Narnaund was a big blow to Selja's faction. Apart from this, Selja was also dissatisfied with the working style of state in-charge Deepak Babaria, especially with his statement in which Babaria had said that MPs cannot contest MLA elections. Selja believed that such decisions should be taken at the level of the high command, not the state in-charge.

How was Selja persuaded?

Rahul Gandhi's rally begins with Assandh

Rahul Gandhi started his election rally from Assandh in Karnal, from where Shamsher Singh Gogi, a close aide of Kumari Selja, is the Congress candidate. Assandh is a Sikh and Rajput dominated area, but Dalit voters play an important role here. In 2019, Congress won from here under the leadership of Selja, and this time too Assandh is being considered a hot seat.

Starting Rahul Gandhi's rally from Assandh was not only important for Selja, but it was also a way to remove her displeasure. Rallies have already been organized by BJP and BSP leaders in Assandh, which had increased the tension for Selja's faction. This strategic rally of Rahul played an important role in bringing Selja back to the mainstream of Congress.

Role of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge played an important role in persuading the angry Selja. He held two meetings with Selja. The first meeting was held on September 22, in which Selja put forth her grievances before the Congress President. She raised questions on the lack of transparency in ticket distribution and the working style of state in-charge Deepak Babaria.

The second meeting was held on September 24, which was Selja's birthday. In this meeting, Kharge shared a picture on social media while feeding cake to Selja, in which both were seen laughing. After this meeting, Selja decided to join the election campaign.

Assurance of sharing power

According to Congress sources, one of the major reasons for Selja's displeasure was her concerns about sharing power. She feared that just as her supporters have been ignored in ticket distribution, they may be ignored in the same way even after coming to power.

The Congress high command assured her that she will get proper participation when the government is formed. After this, Selja decided to be active in the election campaign.

Selja's power and Dalit politics in Haryana

Kumari Selja has the image of a strong Dalit leader, and Dalit voters have an important place in Haryana. The state has about 20 percent Dalit population, for whom 17 assembly seats are reserved. Selja has made her mark in national politics more than Haryana, and she has been a minister in former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government.

Selja has a strong influence in the politics of Ambala and Sirsa, where there are a total of 20 assembly seats. In the 2019 elections, Congress won 7 out of these 20 seats, and Selja played an important role in this victory.

Future path

However, it will not be easy for Selja to claim the post of Chief Minister in Haryana, because Bhupinder Hooda has a strong support base here. Despite this, Selja's return has strengthened the election campaign of the Congress. In the coming times, it will be interesting to see how the power equations are formed between Selja and Hooda.

Conclusion

Kumari Selja's return to politics has given a new energy to the Congress in the Haryana elections. Her hold on Dalit politics and her relations with the high command can positively impact the electoral equation for the Congress. Although she has a strong challenger like Bhupinder Hooda for the post of Chief Minister, the assurance of a share in power is giving her new hopes.