Haryana Assembly Polls: Congress releases list of 31 candidates, Vinesh Phogat to contest from Julana

Vinesh Phogat

The Congress on Friday released its first list of 31 candidates for the upcoming Haryana Assembly polls next month. The prominent names featured in the first list include former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda from Garhi Sampla-Kiloi, state unit chief Udai Bhan from Hodal and wrestler Vinesh Phogat from Julana. Congress has fielded Mewa Singh from Ladwa to take on Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini.

The party has also fielded Surender Panwar from Sonipat, Bharat Bhushan Batra from Rohtak, Kuldeep Vats from Badli, Chiranjeev Rao from Revari and Neeraj Sharma from Faridabad NIT.

#HaryanaPolls2024 | Congress releases its first list of candidates for the upcoming Haryana Assembly elections.Vinesh Phogat to contest from Julana, and Bhupinder Singh Hooda from Garhi Sampla-Kiloi pic.twitter.com/0GJzcEBvla

ANI (@ANI) September 6, 2024

The list was released after the Central Election Committee (CEC) of the Congress met here, with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, former party chief Sonia Gandhi, party general secretary in-charge organisation K C Venugopal, All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge of Haryana Deepak Babaria and Hooda, among others, attending the meeting.

Wrestlers Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat joined the Congress party earlier in the day in the presence of Congress general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal, party leader Pawan Khera, Haryana Congress chief Udai Bhan and AICC in-charge of Haryana, Deepak Babaria.

Hours after joining the Congress, Punia was appointed the working chairman of the All India Kisan Congress. It seems unlikely now that he would be fielded in the polls. The 90-member Haryana Assembly is scheduled to go to polls on October 5 and the counting of votes will be undertaken on October 8.