Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Saturday appointed former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, who was credited with the party’s better-than-expected performance in the October 21 assembly elections, as leader of the Congress Legislature Party.
Congress general secretary in-charge of Haryana Ghulam Nabi Azad made the announcement a day after party legislators in Haryana passed a unanimous resolution authorising Gandhi to choose the CLP leader.
“After being briefed by observer Madhusudan Mistri about the wishes of the legislators, she has appointed Hooda as the CLP leader,” Azad said.
“This is a good combination and it worked well for the party and despite the short time they got, they ensured a good performance by the Congress,” Azad said.
The Congress won 31 seats in the 90-member Haryana assembly. It is the second largest party in the state, and therefore entitled to the post of the leader of opposition which Hooda will assume after appointment as the CLP leader.