Congress Releases Candidate List For Haryana Elections, Vinesh Phogat To Contest From Julana

Wrestler Vinesh Phogat will be contesting the Haryana Assembly elections from the Julana seat, the Congress party confirmed as it released its first list of candidates for the upcoming polls in the state on Friday Former Chief Minister and veteran Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda has been fielded from the Garhi Sampla-Kiloli seat.

Congress Announces Candidates

The Congress released its list of candidates for 31 out of the 90 Assembly seats in Haryana, hours after Vinesh Phogat and Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Bajrang Punia were inducted into the party fold by veteran leader KC Venugopal. The party has also pitted Mewa Singh against Chief Minister and BJP candidate Nayab Singh Saini for the Ladwa seat.

Former Karnal Mayor and sitting MLA from the Sadhaura seat Renu Bala has been given a party ticket to contest the same seat again. Badli MLA Kuldeep Vats will be contesting the polls to defend the seat he won in the 2019 Assembly polls.

Veteran Leaders and New Faces

In all, the Congress has given tickets to 28 sitting MLAs out of the 31 announced so far. Of these, only one sitting MLA, Ram Karan, who shifted to the Congress from Dushyant Chautala's Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) has been given a ticket from the same constituency.

Sitting MLAs Pradeep Chaudhary and Shalley Chaudhary have been fielded from the Kalka and Naraingarh Assembly seats, respectively. They won these seats in the 2019 elections. Meanwhile, former MLA from the Radaur Assembly segment, Bishan Lal Saini, has been given an opportunity to contest the same seat again by the party.

Key Dates

Elections are set to take place in Haryana on October 5 and results will be declared on October 8. The announcement comes as part of a broader strategy to strengthen their position in key constituencies across Haryana.

The Congress has strategically chosen candidates with strong local influence and recognition. This includes both seasoned politicians like Bhupinder Singh Hooda and new entrants like Vinesh Phogat.

This mix of experienced leaders and fresh faces aims to appeal to a broad spectrum of voters. The inclusion of sports personalities like Vinesh Phogat is seen as an effort to attract younger voters.

The upcoming elections are crucial for both major parties in Haryana. The Congress is aiming to regain control while facing stiff competition from BJP candidates like Nayab Singh Saini.