Clamour for change in Congress faces gets louder in Rohtak constituencies

While the ruling BJP is facing anti-incumbency after being in power for two successive terms in the state, some Congress candidates who had/ have assumed the position of MLA for a long time are also facing a stiff opposition from within their party in their respective constituencies.

Advertisement

Not only the residents of their Assembly segments, but even local leaders and workers of the Congress strongly feel that new leaders should be given a chance instead of fielding the old ones again.

The local workers and voters still want to support the Congress nominees but they want the party to change its candidates. The trend is emerging in two Assembly constituencies of Rohtak district, which is known as the political capital of Haryana. One of these Assembly segments is Kalanaur (Reserved) constituency, from where Shakuntala Khatak has been the sitting Congress MLA for three consecutive terms.

This time, the sitting MLA, who is the frontrunner in the race for the Congress ticket, is facing stiff resistance from the workers of her own party.

“A memorandum signed by about 2,100 grassroots-level workers and supporters of the Congress has been submitted to senior Congress leader and Rohtak MP Deepender Singh Hooda, requesting to change the party nominee this time,” said Sonu Pilana, a Zila Parishad member from the Kalanaur area, who is among the 55 applicants for the Congress ticket from the constituency.

On the other hand, Khatak asserts that she had accomplished a lot while the Congress government was in power, and got some projects completed even when she was in the Opposition.

“Everyone has the right to contest in a democratic set-up,” she says.

Meanwhile, a similar situation is being witnessed in Meham Assembly segment of Rohtak district.

Though Independent candidate Balraj Kundu was elected from Meham in the last election of 2019 and is the sitting MLA, Congress leader Anand Singh Dangi has served as MLA from Meham for four times — 1991-1996, 2005-2009, 2009-2014 and 2014-2019.

This time, Dangi wants to get his son Balram fielded from the constituency.

Dangi is also facing opposition from a chunk of local workers and voters, who want the party leadership to look for new faces.

Prof Manoj Siwach, a former Registrar at Chaudhary Devi Lal University, Sirsa, and Dr Mahipal Singh Gill, a former Associate Professor at Jat College, Rohtak, are in the fray for the Congress ticket from Meham constituency.

Prof Siwach maintains that he has applied for the party ticket and hopes to get it on merit.

On the other hand, Dr Gill is more forthright as he states that the people of the Assembly segment are in the mood for a change.

“I planned to contest as an independent candidate, but was advised by my well-wishers not to do that. Hence, I have applied for the Congress ticket,” he conceded.

Questioned what he would do in case he does not get the ticket, Dr Gill replied that he would remain silent, but also quipped that the voters of the constituency would not be silent in such an event.