Don’t choose Kosli, Uncle Yaduvender advises Arti Rao

Tribune News Service

Gurugram, August 27

While the BJP has reserved the Ateli and Kosli seats for Arti Rao, Yaduvender Singh, her uncle and younger brother of BJP MP from Gurugram Rao Inderjit Singh, has advised her to drop Kosli. A former Congress MLA from Kosli, Yaduvender Singh, plans to contest from the segment on the Congress ticket and warned that both he and his niece would lose if they contest from there.

‘We both will lose’

• A former MLA from Kosli, Yaduvender Singh plans to contest from there on the Congress ticket
• He warned that both he and his niece would lose if they contest from the seat
• Singh has consecutively lost two Assembly elections from Kosli in 2014 and 2019
• With the Congress in a strong position this time, Yaduvender seems confident and has already started his campaign.
• Yaduvender faces stiff competition from former minister Jagdish Yadav. Yadav who had switched to BJP from INLD switched to Congress in 2023. He is openly announcing his candidature saying he was inducted with a promise of a ticket.

Yaduvender claimed that being from same clan their loyal Ahir voter base remained the same and this could divide the votes and make them loose and benefit somebody else.

“If we both contest from Kosli, we are sure to loose so she must drop Kosli,” said Singh.If Arti chooses Kosli it will virtually pit Yaduvender Singh against his elder brother. The statement has gone viral.

Arti, meanwhile, is keeping her cards closed and Rao Inderjit Singh too is abstaining from making any declaration about her candidature. After being MLA in 2009, former state Congress vice president Yaduvender Singh has consecutively lost two Assembly elections from Kosli in 2014 and 2019. With the Congress in a strong position this time, Yaduvender seems confident and has already started his campaign. He is known to be on good terms with LoP and former CM Bhupender Hooda. He has appealed to voters to support him and the Congress on social media.

Yaduvender however faces stiff competition from former minister Jagdish Yadav. Yadav who had switched to BJP from INLD switched to Congress in 2023. He is openly announcing his candidature saying he was inducted with a promise of a ticket. Jagdish had unsuccessfully contested Assembly poll from Kosli in 2014 on the INLD ticket. Later, he joined the BJP, but failed to get the party ticket in 2019. He remains an active local leader and his supporters claim that he is now a strong contender for the Congress ticket as Yaduvendra had lost two consecutive Assembly elections from the constituency. Meanwhile, Yaduvendra’s supporters are hopeful that the party will again show confidence in their leader.