Sonia Gandhi appoints ex-CM Bhupinder Hooda leader of Cong legislature party in Haryana

Congress veteran leader and former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda flashes the victory sign as he leaves from a counting centre, in Rohtak. (Image: PTI)

Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Saturday appointed former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) in the state. By virtue of being appointed the CLP leader, Hooda will be the Leader of Opposition in the newly-constituted assembly, AICC Haryana in-charge Ghulam Nabi Azad said at a press conference here.

A resolution was passed by the MLAs unanimously authorising Gandhi to elect the CLP leader and after being briefed by observer Madhusudan Mistri about the wishes of the MLAs, she has appointed Hooda as the CLP leader, he said.

Azad also hailed Hooda and Haryana Congress chief Kumari Selja for their efforts in the assembly polls, saying their combination had worked well for the party and despite the short time they got, they ensured a good performance by the Congress.

Ahead of the assembly election in Haryana, the Congress high command had replaced Ashok Tanwar with Selja as the state party chief and Choudhary as CLP leader with Hooda. Tanwar had later quit the party.

In the 90-member assembly, the strength of BJP is 40, its ally Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) 10, Congress 31, Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) one, Haryana Lokhit Party one and seven independents. The seven independents too had extended support to the BJP.