Denied ticket, Ajay Singh Yadav backs Raj Babbar in Gurugram

The Congress on April 30 had announced that Babbar will contest from the Gurgaon seat — overlooking Yadav, a prominent south Haryana politician who contested the 2019 elections but lost to BJP’s Rao Inderjit Singh, the incumbent MP

Days after he was denied a Congress ticket to contest the Gurgaon Lok Sabha seat, former Haryana minister Ajay Singh Yadav on Monday rallied behind Raj Babbar — his party’s candidate for the constituency — and said that he is lending his support to ensure that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is defeated.

Congress Gurugram Lok Sabha constituency candidate Raj Babbar and Ajay Singh Yadav, former minister (Haryana) at a public meeting during Lok Sabha poll campaign at Jharsa Road near Sector-32 in Gurugram. (Parveen Kumar/HT PHOTO)

The Congress on April 30 had announced that Babbar will contest from the Gurgaon seat — overlooking Yadav, a prominent south Haryana politician who contested the 2019 elections but lost to BJP’s Rao Inderjit Singh, the incumbent MP.

Addressing the media at the Congress office in Jharsa, Yadav said that over the last five years, he visited around 1,200 villages falling under the Gurgaon parliamentary constituency and was working hard on the ground to ensure a Congress victory in the Lok Sabha polls.

“It was quite shocking that I was denied a ticket by the party but it happened due to the machinations of senior Congress leaders in Haryana… I don’t want to take any names. I am a loyal soldier of the party and despite the hurt, I have decided to fully support the candidature of Raj Babbar as I respect the decision of the party high command,” he said.

Babbar, who was also present, said that in the run-up to the nomination process, he was not aware that Yadav was seeking a ticket to contest from Gurgaon.

“Whatever has happened is in the past but I am thankful to the senior Congress leader for supporting my candidature despite his strong claims and working for 10 years to nurture the constituency,” Babbar said.

“I met his (Yadav’s) son, who is the Rewari MLA, and discussed the matter. Once things became clear, the senior Congress leader came out fully to support me. I will represent him in the constituency,” he added.

Meanwhile, Gurugram district BJP chief Kamal Yadav said the coming together of Yadav and Babbar will not affect his party’s prospects. “The BJP and its candidate are seeking votes for development and works carried out in last 10 years. The people have seen the 70 years of rule of Congress. The people of Gurugram have to decide whether want development or entertainment,” he said.

The Gurgaon seat is set to go to polls on May 25, and Babbar will face off against BJP’s Singh, and Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) pick Rahul Yadav “Fazilpuria”, among others.