'In race for CM post but...': Kumari Selja on staking claim for Haryana CM post

Kumari Selja says the Congress brass should take the final call on CM candidate.

Expressing confidence that Congress would win the Haryana assembly elections, MP Kumari Selja said she is in the race for the chief minister’s post, but it won't be through the traditional "staking claim" optics.

"Every state has groups. It is a part of politics. Why point fingers at Haryana or my party? This has been there, not just during elections. On the ground all of us have worked hard together," Selja told NDTV.

Former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Randeep Surjewala, and Selja had made their ambition known much before the election. However, she denied that she would push her way through to stake claim for the top post. "Why should I stake claim? Stay away from this mindset, that people stake claim. We have a level of seniority, who work hard on the ground, and are committed to the party. Such people should be considered. Why should it be about staking claim..." the Congress MP said.

According to her, the Congress brass should take the final call and not party MPs as it could lead to more factionalism. “I have always felt in all these years, including during discussions with the high command, that a national party has to take a political view on things. And that is what should be the main consideration in choosing people, anytime, anywhere, any post, as to what we want to do, what we want to show, what we want to present. Apart from that, it is always the high command's last word which counts," she told NDTV.

According to her, counting MLAs is not a healthy thing for any party. Reinstating that voters should not be viewed as compartmentalised entities, the Dalit leader said people from all sections of society in Haryana support her.

"Haryana can give me space. It is you people who have to come out of the mindset that Haryana is like this, Haryana is like that. I can assure you that I have support from all sections of society. Don't fall into this trap, propagated by vested interests. Move away and move forward," she said.

Vote counting for the Haryana Assembly elections will take place on October 8, alongside the Jammu and Kashmir polls. According to exit polls, Congress could come back to power after a decade and gain a comfortable majority on its own.