Congress bets on Vinesh Phogat for Julana, unveils 31 candidates for Haryana polls

Seeking to ride the wave of anti-incumbency and public discontent against the ruling BJP, the Congress party on Friday, 6 September has unveiled its first list of 31 candidates for the upcoming Haryana Assembly elections.

Among the high-profile names is Vinesh Phogat, the acclaimed wrestler who has been at the forefront of the women wrestlers' protests against BJP MP and former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Singh.

Phogat, who recently joined the Congress in the presence of K C Venugopal, Congress general secretary (organisation) has been fielded from the Julana constituency. Before formal induction, Phogat met with LoP Rahul Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.

Bajrang Punia, another prominent wrestler and a key figure in the protest, has also joined the Congress ranks and was appointed the working chairman of the party’s Kisan wing. While it was widely speculated that Punia would contest the election, he has not yet been given a ticket.

Veteran Congress leader and former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda will once again contest from his stronghold in Garhi Sampla-Kiloi. Other prominent candidates include Surender Panwar from Sonipat, Jagbir Singh Malik from Gohana, and Bharat Bhushan Batra from Rohtak.

Haryana Congress chief Uday Bhan will contest from Hodal, while Mewa Singh has been tasked with taking on Haryana Chief Minister and BJP leader Nayab Saini in Ladwa.

Congress has fielded a mix of seasoned and fresh faces, with Kuldeep Vata from Badli, Geeta Bhukkal from the SC-reserved Jhajjar seat, Chiranjeev Rao from Rewari, Aftab Ahmed from Nuh, and Neeraj Sharma from Faridabad NIT.

The list was formalised after a meeting of the Congress Central Election Committee (CEC) in Delhi, attended by party president Mallikarjun Kharge, former chief Sonia Gandhi, AICC general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal, and key state leaders, including Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

The Haryana Assembly elections are scheduled for 5 October, with the results to be declared on 8 October. The deadline for filing nominations is 12 September, and scrutiny will take place the following day. Candidates have until 16 September to withdraw their nominations.

In contrast, the BJP, which has ruled Haryana for a decade, released its list of 67 candidates earlier this week. The party has chosen to retain 21 sitting legislators while introducing 20 new faces, a move aimed at countering the wave of anti-incumbency that has built up over its ten-year tenure.

The saffron party has dropped eight sitting MLAs in a strategic reshuffle as it braces for what is shaping up to be a fierce electoral battle, with the Congress looking to convert the anti-incumbency political gains as much as possible.