Cong finally announces Haryana poll panel led by Bhupinder Hooda

Aditi Tandon & Ravi S.Singh
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, March 18

The Congress on Monday finally announced the Haryana poll coordination committee to be led by former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

AICC general secretary in charge Haryana Ghulam Nabi Azad announced the panel which has state chief Ashok Tanwar, Kiran Choudhry, Selja, Kuldeep Bishnoi and Kuldeep Sharma as members.

All Haryana leaders would travel together in the state in a bus to send a message of unity, Azad said.

'United'

Later on Monday, Hooda dismissed reports of factionalism in the party’s state unit saying that the Congress party’s coordination committee was a “reflection of unity”.

Hooda is chairman of an election coordination committee that also has among its members state Congress president Ashok Tanwar—a man considered Hooda’s rival.

"The coordination committee is the united face of the Congress in Haryana. The party will head into the elections with a positive outlook, and in high spirits," Hooda said. The party will hold its first meeting on Tuesday.

Asked when the party would announce candidates, Hooda said all elections issues would be discussed at Tuesday’s meeting.

He said the party was already in election mode, with leaders holding meetings in their areas of influence. He added that his ‘Kranti Rath Yatra’ would continue as planned.