Kiran Choudhry, daughter Shruti part ways with Congress, to join BJP today

Tribune News Service

Geetanjali Gayatri

Chandigarh, June 18

Feeling “stifled and humiliated”, senior party leader and Tosham MLA Kiran Choudhry and her daughter, a working president of the state unit, Shruti Choudhry, today parted ways with the Congress to “look ahead”. They are all set to join the BJP in Delhi tomorrow.

Stood good chance, but denied ticket

Shruti was denied a ticket, even though party surveys gave her a 56% chance of winning as against Rao Dan Singh, the party’s official candidate, who stood only a 32% chance. The Choudhrys were ignored, even though Bhiwani is their stronghold. After the party candidate lost, the Congress tried to shift the blame to her. A close aide

In her resignation letter to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Kiran, ending her four-decade association with the Congress, said the state unit was being run as a “personal fiefdom”, leaving no space for her to raise her voice for the people she represented.

The daughter-in-law of a former CM, Bansi Lal, also considered the architect of modern Haryana, a fact she mentioned in her letter, Kiran said she was being “conspired against in a well-orchestrated and systematic manner” and had “chosen to look ahead at a fresh start”.

In her letter, Shruti, a former MP from the Bhiwani-Mahendragarh seat, said the party had become “one person-centric who has compromised the interest of the party for his selfish and petty interests”, though she took no names.

While they are upset with the Congress for denying Shruti a ticket from the Bhiwani-Mahendragarh seat, sources said the constant “humiliation” of being ignored during campaigning forced her to consider other options.

“Shruti was denied a ticket, even though party surveys gave her a 56 per cent chance of winning as against Rao Dan Singh, the party’s official candidate, who stood only a 32 per cent chance. During campaigning, the Choudhrys were ignored, even though Bhiwani is their stronghold. After the Congress candidate lost, the party attempted to shift the blame to her even though the candidate lost in his own booth and constituency,” a close aide said.

Meanwhile, the BJP, looking to make good its loss of Jat leader Birender Singh and his son and former Hisar MP, Brijendra Singh, to the Congress before the elections, have decided to induct the mother-daughter duo ahead of the Assembly poll.

The sources also said Kiran could be considered for the Rajya Sabha seat that had fallen vacant following Deepender Hooda’s election as Lok Sabha MP from Rohtak. Her daughter could get an Assembly ticket.

With her resignation from the party, it remains to be seen whether Kiran will resign from the Vidhan Sabha as well.

The state Congress is essentially divided into two factions. While one faction is headed by Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda and his son Deepender, the other faction has senior leaders like Sirsa MP Kumari Selja, Rajya Sabha MP Randeep Singh Surjewala and former Union minister Birender Singh and his son Brijendra.

Presently, Hooda is calling the shots in the party. He managed to get tickets for his candidates from eight of the nine seats the party contested and state unit chief Udai Bhan is also from his camp. The general secretary in charge of Haryana, Deepak Babaria, is inclined towards him, party insiders said.

When contacted on the resignations by the Choudhrys, Hooda said, “The party remains strong in Haryana.”

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