National leaders missing, Hooda alone managing show for Congress
With national leaders missing from the Congress campaign so far, former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda is holding the show for the party alone.
Having received requests from most candidates, Hooda has been holding 11 to 12 public meetings daily, with multiple rallies in each constituency. Besides this, the 78-year-old leader has been holding press conferences, giving interviews and remaining present during new joinings in the party.
While other senior state leaders were absent, he presided over the release of seven guarantees by the party on September 18 in Delhi.
On the other hand, for the BJP, PM Narendra Modi held a rally in Kurukshetra on September 14, with three more rallies planned after his US visit. Home Minister Amit Shah held rallies in Faridabad and Loharu on September 17. Additionally, Union Power Minister and former CM Manohar Lal Khattar, along with CM Nayab Singh Saini, are holding public meetings across the state.
Former Delhi CM and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal held a roadshow in Jagadhri on Friday. Recently released from jail, he is scheduled to address rallies in Rania, Dabwali, Pundri, Dadri, Assandh, Bhiwani, Meham, Kalayat, Rewari, Ballabgarh and Badhra from September 23 onwards.
Congress’ campaign is yet to peak like that of its rivals. The party has not released any programme regarding rallies by the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi or Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi. Former Union Minister and Sirsa MP Kumari Selja has also kept herself aloof from campaigning. However, Rajasthan leader Sachin Pilot is visiting the state on September 22.
“Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge will visit Ambala and Gharaunda on September 23. The programme for Rahul Gandhi is yet to be chalked out,” said Hooda. He confirmed, “It is true. Almost all the candidates have requested me for campaigning.”
As a frontrunner for the CM’s post should the Congress come to power, it has become Hooda vs. the rest of the parties in the state. From PM Modi to Amit Shah to CM Nayab Singh Saini, Hooda has become the target.
A crucial link for consolidating Jats behind the Congress, Hooda is likely to tour as many constituencies as possible, particularly those dominated by Jats. Having managed to allocate about 78 seats to his loyalists, Hooda’s strategy has been to exploit anti-incumbency against the BJP while galvanizing voters around issues concerning ‘kisan, jawan and pehalwan’.
However, Prof Ashutosh Kumar from the Department of Political Science, Panjab University (PU), differs with the Congress strategy. “It has become national leadership of the BJP vs. Hooda in Haryana. We have seen a similar Congress strategy in Madhya Pradesh too in 2023, and it boomeranged as the party kept all its eggs in Kamal Nath’s basket. It also shows a weak high command. On the other hand, the BJP bringing Modi, Shah and other national leaders to Haryana makes sense. It tones down people’s anger towards their local candidates when there is high anti-incumbency as we have seen it in other states too,” he said.
