Trouble in Haryana Congress? Kumari Selja stays away from campaigning, gets 'join BJP' invite from ML Khattar

The Congress, which is confident of defeating BJP in Haryana, is a divided house. Even before the campaign started, the differences between veteran leader and former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and the party's prominent Dalit face Kumari Selja were out in the open. Now, as only less than two weeks are left for the crucial polls, reports suggest that Selja is staying away from the campaign.

Amid all this, Union Minister and former chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar has asked Kumari Selja to join the saffron party. He pointed towards the alleged infighting in the state unit of Congress. "There is so much infighting there (in Haryana Congress) and there is no clarity about their chief ministerial face. There is a fight between the father and the son (Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Deepender Hooda). The father says he will become the CM while son says he will. Besides them, other leaders also have desire (for the chief minister post)," he said. 

"There is our Dalit sister...sitting at home. A large section of people are today thinking about what they should do. Many people were upset with them and we brought them into the party fold. We are ready with an offer and if (she) comes, we are ready to induct her," Khattar said. 

Later, when he asked whether Kumari Selja would join the BJP, Khattar said, "It is a world of possibilities and possibilities cannot be ruled out and therefore, everything will be known when the right time comes." 

Reports suggest that the tension in the Congress Haryana is over the ticket distribution for the assembly polls. Selja reportedly felt sidelined by the Congress she could manage to secure only 13 of the 90 tickets, including those of sitting MLAs. The state has 17 seats reserved for SCs. 

According to a report by ThePrint, Kumari Selja had sought 30 to 35 seats for her camp during the ticket distribution process. However, the Congress central leadership ultimately allotted 72 tickets to the faction led by Bhupinder Hooda. Selja’s disappointment deepened when she was unable to secure a ticket for her close ally, Dr. Ajay Chaudhary, in the Narnaund assembly constituency.

The situation escalated when a casteist remark was made by a Congress worker against Selja during the nomination event of Jassi Petwad, the Congress candidate for Narnaund. This not only angered Selja’s supporters but also created discontent within the Dalit community, further complicating the party's internal dynamics.

A few days ago, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram had said that there was no internal tussle in the Haryana Congress. "My good friend (Kumari) Selja ji has not said a single word against Mr Hooda, nor has Mr Hooda said a word against Ms Selja. So we are a united party. We will fight this election in a united manner," Chidambaram had said.