Selja to campaign for Congress in Haryana amid BJP’s infighting claim

Congress MP Kumari Selja will campaign for the Congress in Narwana in Haryana, party general secretary Randeep Surjewala said on Monday (September 23), after the BJP targeted it over infighting ahead of Assembly elections.

Selja is a Congress general secretary and a prominent Dalit face of the party. Media reports say she has been sulking.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been alleging that Selja was staying away from the Congress election campaign as she had been sidelined.

Khattar wants Selja in BJP

Recently, Union minister and former chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar even invited Selja to join the BJP, hugely embarrassing the Congress.

In a post on X, Surjewala said Selja will address a public meeting in Narwana on September 26 and will campaign for the Congress.

"Today, I will address 22 public meetings for Congress candidate Satbir Dablain in Narwana. We will hoist the flag of Congress victory in the entire district and Haryana,” Surjewala said.

Why is Selja upset?

He addressed Kumari Selja as an “elder sister” in the message.

Surjewala's son Aditya is also contesting the polls and has been fielded by the Congress from Kaithal, a seat which Randeep Surjewala had earlier represented. It is now held by BJP's Leela Ram.

Selja has been reportedly upset that the party had given a free hand to her bete noire and former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda in ticket distribution.

Hooda’s domination in Congress

Hooda's loyalists had also been accommodated in the majority of the 17 reserve (SC) seats.

Selja was also conspicuous by her absence when the Congress released its election manifesto for Haryana in New Delhi.

Last week, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram had claimed there was no dissidence in the Haryana Congress.