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Adampur bypoll: Father-son duo heading Congress campaign, allege party leaders
Two Congress leaders, who figured among the star campaigners, told HT that the father-son are taking all key decisions and they did not discuss poll preparations with other senior leaders
: Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and his son Deepender are taking all key decisions of the Congress campaign for the November 3 Adampur bypoll, state party leaders have alleged, even as several star campaigners of the party are yet to join canvassing.
Many frontline Congress leaders, including former state party chief Kumari Selja, Rajya Sabha MP Randeep Singh Surjewala, Tosham MLA Kiran Choudhry, former minister capt Ajay Yadav, former Haryana deputy chief minister Chander Mohan, who were among the list of 39 star campaigners, were yet to hit the campaign trail.
Two Congress leaders, who figured among the star campaigners, told HT that the father-son are taking all key decisions and they did not discuss poll preparations with other senior leaders.
Tosham MLA Kiran Choudhry has alleged that proper process was not followed during the selection of Congress candidate for the Adampur by-poll.
“Earlier I was busy conducting Congress president polls in Mumbai as I was PRO there. Now, I am participating in Congress’ Bharat Jodo Yatra,” she added.
Congress has fielded former union minister Jai Parkash from the constituency. He is pitted against former Haryana chief minister Bhajan Lal’s grand-son Bhavya Bishnoi, INLD’s Kurda Ram and Aam Aadmi party’s Satinder Singh.
Deepender, who is Rajya Sabha MP from Haryana along with state Congress chief Udai Bhan is leading the party’s campaign in Adampur. The MLAs, ex-ministers and senior leaders close to Hooda have been assigned duties village -wise and they are directly reporting to Bhupinder Singh Hooda and his son.
Last week, Deepender told party leaders that anyone who can’t fulfill the poll duties can return to their homes.
“I will assign duties village-wise and you have to report to us before leaving the assigned village. This election is being fought between Congress and BJP, which would get support from its allies. The poll results will decide the future of Haryana. If anyone tries to meet me again and again by leaving their duty work, I will give them negative remarks,” Deepender had told party leaders while inaugurating the party office in Balsamand village last week.
Deepender has been accusing BJP candidate Bhavya’s father Kuldeep Bishnoi of switching sides from Congress to BJP due to fear of ‘ED and IT’ raids, while Udai Bhan alleged that Bishnoi had left the Congress as he could not digest his elevation as the state chief.
“Bishnoi dislikes backwards and Dalits. He had left the party after a man belonging to the Dalit community was designated as Haryana Congress chief,” Udai Bhan said while canvassing in Adampur.
Rohtak-based political commentator Satish Tyagi said this bypoll is a litmus test for Hooda and Udai Bhan.
“The results of this by-election will depict the presence of Hooda in areas outside the Deswali belt,” he added.
All four main contestants have Congress roots
All the main four candidates contesting the Adampur bypoll have Congress background. BJP’s Bhavya had unsuccessfully contested the 2019 parliamentary polls from Hisar as Congress nominee.
AAP’s nominee Satinder Singh had contested as a Congress candidate from Adampur constituency in 2014 and lost to Kuldeep Bishnoi. INLD candidate Kurda Ram was seeking a Congress ticket in this by-poll and shifted to INLD after Congress denied him a ticket.
