Lagatar24 Desk
Chandigarh: The Congress party released its fourth list of candidates for the upcoming Haryana assembly elections on Thursday, naming five candidates, including a journalist who recently joined the party. With this latest announcement, the total number of candidates declared by Congress for the polls has reached 86.
The party’s decision to field journalist Sarva Mitra Kamboj from the Rania constituency in Sirsa district is particularly notable. Kamboj, who joined the Congress in the presence of former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and state unit chief Udai Bhan, will contest from the seat previously represented by Energy and Jails Minister Ranjit Chautala. Chautala, who had won as an Independent MLA, later joined the BJP but recently resigned after being denied a ticket.
In addition to Kamboj, the Congress has fielded Parimal Pari from Ambala Cantt, youth leader Sachin Kundu from Panipat Rural, Satbir Dublain from the Narwana (SC) constituency, and Rohit Nagar from Tigaon. This announcement came just hours after the party released its third list, which included Aditya Surjewala, the son of Congress MP Randeep Surjewala, from Kaithal.
The Congress is still finalizing candidates for four constituencies, including Uklana. The party had been in discussions with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) regarding a potential seat-sharing arrangement for the Haryana polls, but talks have stalled due to disagreements. Meanwhile, AAP has continued to release its candidate lists.
As the nomination deadline approached, Congress made significant moves, having already named key candidates such as former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda from Garhi Sampla-Kiloi, state unit chief Udai Bhan from Hodal, and wrestler Vinesh Phogat from Julana. Last week, the party declared a list of 32 candidates and has since added several more names. Assembly elections in Haryana are scheduled for October 5, with vote counting set for October 8.