Haryana polls | Sirsa hot seat: Gokul Setia joins Congress, old pics with gangster Goldy Brar go viral hours later

(Source: Gokul Setia's Insta a/c)

Hours after Gokul Setia, a strongman from Sirsa, joined the Congress on Tuesday, old photos of him with notorious gangster Goldy Brar began circulating on social media. One of the viral images also features Sunny Multani, currently imprisoned in the US on drug trafficking charges. The photos have sparked outrage among fans of Sidhu Moosewala, as Goldy Brar has been linked to the singer's murder.

Courtesy: @shamitaxhina

Distancing himself from the gangsters, Setia issued a clarification: "Brar and I met former Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar at his residence nearly ten years ago when Brar was involved in student politics. If Brar was a criminal at that time, do you think Khattar would have met us?"

Setia has earlier faced allegations regarding his "proximity" to gangsters like Goldy Brar and Lawrence Bishnoi.

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A post shared by Gokul Setia (@gokulsetia)

Setia is the grandson of former Haryana minister and Congress leader Lachhman Dass Arora Dass, who served as five-time MLA, mainly representing Sirsa. His entry into the Congress is seen as a boost to the party's prospects in Sirsa ahead of the upcoming Haryana Assembly elections. If nominated by the Congress, Setia could emerge as a strong contender against the sitting MLA and Haryana Lokhit Party chief, Gopal Kanda, an ally of the ruling BJP. In the 2019 Assembly polls, Setia narrowly lost to Kanda by just 602 votes when he contested as an Independent candidate.

The family parted ways with the party before the 2014 Assembly polls, with Setia's mother, Sunita Setia, running for the Sirsa seat on a BJP ticket but losing.

After joining the Congress, Setia expressed confidence in the party's chances in Haryana, saying, "I have joined Congress today and I am quite positive that there is a wave in Congress’s favour in Haryana. For the last five years, I have been working very hard in my constituency (Sirsa), and people want to see me representing them."