Who?ll be Haryana CM, Jat or non-Jat?
Nine years after the Cong lost power in Haryana, the party has come back with record two-thirds majority. Poll Results
Nine years after the Congress lost power in Haryana, the party has come back with a record 67 seats in the 90-member assembly.
The INLD, on the other hand, has had its worst-ever tally of nine seats while its one-time ally BJP has been reduced to just two seats. The Independents, mostly Congress rebels, have fared better than these two parties with a tally of 10 seats.
Having won convincingly, the Congress is now preparing for a bigger battle — the selection of the chief minister.
While there are nearly half-a-dozen contenders, leaders like HPCC chief Bhajan Lal, Rohtak MP Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Birender Singh perhaps have the strongest claim to the top slot. Lal is a front-runner and a non-Jat. A strong lobby, represented by leaders like Hooda and Birender, are pressing hard for a Jat CM on grounds that the landslide victory wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the dominant community. Another argument is that a Jat CM would help the party create a base among the community in western UP — a state where the Congress is struggling to find its feet.
However, non-Jat leaders contest this claim, saying that while the Jats shifted loyalties to leaders like Devi Lal, Bansi Lal and Om Parkash Chautala; the non-Jats have been steadfast in their support of the party.
The Congress' Haryana MPs have also made it known that they would want anyone but Bhajan Lal as CM.
Another twist is the issue of a 'new face'. A section of party leaders have floated the idea of having a young CM. Contenders who fit this bill are HPCC working president Randeep Surjewala and Union minister Kumari Selja. Surjewala has boosted his chances by defeating Chautala in Narwana. That he is a Jat also helps. But Selja’s supporters say she has a strong claim since Dalits and OBCs constitute 30 per cent of the state's population.
For the present, it's Bhajan Lal versus the rest, with the Congress legislature party slated to meet in Chandigarh on Tuesday to elect its new leader. The AICC is expected to name its observers for the meeting on Monday. “The choice of CM will depend on what the legislators want. The high command will step in only if they are unable to decide,” said one Congress leader.