Selja’s plan to skip LS polls may affect Congress prospects

Tribune News Service

Deepender Deswal

Hisar, March 9

As the former Union minister and five-time MP Kumari Selja expressed her desire to contest the Assembly polls, it could be a tough hunt for the Congress to find ‘suitable’ candidates for reserved Lok Sabha seats of Sirsa and Ambala in her absence.

Selja, 62, who is the national general secretary of the Congress, has represented both these seats twice, each. She has also served as Rajya Sabha MP once.

With the Congress having set in motion the process to finalise the candidates for 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana, Selja, during her visit to Hisar, said: “I have expressed my desire to contest the Assembly election. Though, I will abide by the decision of the party high command.”

Haryana assembly polls are scheduled to be held about six months after the Lok Sabha polls. However, party sources revealed that her name was being seriously considered as a probable candidate from either Sirsa or Ambala.

ML Goyal, retired professor of political science, said Selja’s heightened activities and repeated visits to Sirsa constituency indicated that she was prepared for the poll battle. “Her statement about contesting assembly polls reflects her desire to be the chief ministerial candidate in Haryana,” he said.

A former panch of Bajekan village in Sirsa district, Roshan Lal, said Selja was a well known face here.

“She should join the poll fray if the Congress wants to give a serious fight here. I don’t see any other name being discussed among the people in my village,” he said, adding that people were dissatisfied with the performance of the incumbent BJP MP.

Selja made debut in 1991 and won from the Sirsa Lok Sabha seat twice (1991 and 1996) and lost in 1998. Afterwards, she shifted to Ambala and won twice (2004 and 2009) and lost in 2019.

She also served as Rajya Sabha MP from 2014 to 2020. Her father Dalbir Singh also represented Sirsa Lok Sabha seat in 1971, 1980 and 1984.

Two camps hit party

Political experts said Selja, Randeep Singh Surjewala and Kiran Choudhary had tried to put a strong foot forward in the state politics ahead of the Assembly poll. Notably, internal tussle between Bhupinder Singh Hooda camp and Selja, Randeep and Kiran camp was stated to be the reason behind non-formation of the party district-level organisational committes.

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