Congress unlikely to project CM face in Haryana assembly polls: Party gen secy Deepak Babaria

Expressing optimism over Congress forming the next government in Haryana, Babaria said the party’s tradition is that elected legislators authorise the party president to decide the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader

Congress general secretary in-charge of Haryana Deepak Babaria on Sunday indicated that the party is unlikely to declare a chief ministerial candidate ahead of the assembly polls due in October.

Congress is looking to oust BJP in the Haryana assembly polls due later this year.

Expressing optimism over Congress forming the next government in Haryana, Babaria said the party’s tradition is that elected legislators authorise the party president to decide the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader.

“Congress’ tradition is that CM is elected by the legislature party or the elected MLAs authorises the Congress president to decide,” Babaria said while responding to a question if the party will declare its CM face in the wake of BJP announcing that the saffron party will contest the assembly polls under the leadership of chief minister Nayab Singh Saini.

“The decision will be taken as per the wish of the elected legislators,” he said, adding that deciding the chief ministerial face is a major political decision.

Asked about senior Congress leader Kumari Selja (Sirsa MP) pointing fingers at him for not giving proper feedback to the party high command regarding Lok Sabha tickets allotment, he said: “Selja is a senior leader of our party...if she has found any shortcoming in me she can raise it before the high command.”

He said the Congress manifesto for Haryana will be common man-centric, and the party has undertaken an exercise to collect feedback and suggestions from a cross-section of the society.

“The party is reaching out to different sections of the society and taking their feedback and suggestions for the manifesto. The manifesto will be common man-centric,” Babaria said, who was accompanied by MLA Geeta Bhukkal, chairperson of the Haryana Congress manifesto committee.

Bhukkal said the party has formed 17-18 sub-committees under the main manifesto committee. “We are trying to come up with a good manifesto that will benefit every section of the society,” she said.