The Haryana Congress has released its first list of 31 candidates for the upcoming assembly elections, late on Friday night. Notably, Vinesh Phogat has been given a ticket from the Julana constituency. However, the candidates for the Jagadhri and Yamunanagar seats have not been announced yet.
Key Highlights from the First List:
- Vinesh Phogat will contest from Julana, while Kuldeep Vats will again represent Badli.
- Udaybhan will contest from Hodal, and Aftab Ahmed from Nuh.
- Mohammad Ilyas from Punahana, Maman Khan Engineer from Firozpur Jhirka, Chiranjeev Rao from Rewari, and Renu Bala from Sadhaura have all been re-nominated.
- Bishanlal Saini will contest again from Radaur.
Other Candidates Announced:
- Kalka: Pradeep Chaudhary
- Narayanagarh: Shailji Chaudhary
- Ladwa: Meva Singh
- Shahabad (SC): Ram Karan
- Nilokheri (SC): Dharam Pal Gondar
- Assandh: S. Shamsher Singh Gogi
- Samalkha: Dharam Singh Chhokkar
- Kharkhoda (SC): Jaiveer Singh
- Sonipat: Surendra Panwar
- Gohana: Jagbir Singh Malik
- Baroda: Induraj Singh Narwal
- Safidon: Subhash Gangoli
- Kalawali (SC): Shishpal Singh
- Dabwali: Amit Sihag
- Garhi Sampla-Kiloi: Bhupinder Singh Hooda
- Rohtak: Bharat Bhushan Batra
- Kalanur (SC): Shakuntla Khatak
- Bahadurgarh: Rajinder Singh Jun
- Jhajjar (SC): Geeta Bhukkal
- Beri: Dr. Raghuvir Singh Kadian
- Mahendragarh: Rao Dan Singh
- Rewari: Chiranjeev Rao
- Faridabad NIT: Neeraj Sharma
Key Challenges and Observations:
- Meva Singh has been pitted against CM Nayab Saini in the Ladwa constituency. Saini had initially sought to contest from Karnal, but the BJP has fielded him from Ladwa.
- The list mostly includes current sitting MLAs, indicating a safe and strategic approach by the Congress.
- The Congress has yet to declare candidates for some key constituencies, including all four seats in Gurugram, as the party holds those seats on reserve, possibly due to internal discussions or strategic reasons.
By fielding mostly sitting MLAs and avoiding constituencies with ongoing disputes, the Congress appears to have played a safe game with its first list of candidates. Further announcements are expected for the remaining seats, especially in areas like Gurugram.
