Who will be the next Chief Minister of Haryana if Congress wins the Assembly Election 2024 held on Saturday? Will Bhupinder Singh Hooda be given one more opportunity to run the government after 10 years? Or will Dalit face Kumari Selja be made the head of the state government considering the overall policy of the Congress to woo the underprivileged?

What Transpired Between Selja And Rahul?

Many eyebrows were raised after Shelja met Rahul Gandhi on the last day of the campaign though she skipped the election campaign, which ran for almost one month. After meeting the Gandhi scion, she said it was only for the high command to answer, and they would have to decide about the CM candidate. She said further that her commitment to the party had never been in question.
Why Is Dalit Leader Upset

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If media reports are to be believed, the Dalit leader was “upset” with the handling of party affairs in Haryana. Though Shelja downplayed her absence from the campaign and said that the Congress was well-positioned for the upcoming polls, she indicated her willingness to take the reign of the government, if Congress wins the Haryana Assembly Election.

Selja Spurns BJP’s Offer

As Shelja refrained from the campaign after September 11, when the names of candidates were announced and her loyalists were reportedly ignored, the BJP lapped up the occasion. It offered the Dalit face of Congress to join the party. However, she spurned the offer and declared that “Congress is in my blood” and she would never quit the party. She added that like her father Dalbir Singh, she would leave “the world draped in the party’s flag”.

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Hitting hard at the saffron party, she said that “BJP leaders should refrain from giving me advice”. Congress hit back at the BJP and said that it should focus on its own house instead. The party also called Selja a loyal party worker.

Selja Hopes For Opportunities

Despite allegedly being sidelined in ticket distribution, Selja admitted that it was up to the Congress party to make decisions, and anyone could stake their claim. Without taking anyone’s name, she said that she might have said things that possibly created fear among some.
Indicating her dissatisfaction, the 61-year-old Dalit leader said that she wanted to contest from Uklana in the assembly elections, but she didn’t receive the ticket. However, she also said that she would get more opportunities in the future.

Kumari Selja Stakes Claim

However, on the day of the election, Kumari Shelja became more vocal and almost made a claim. She said that many voters, particularly women, want a woman Chief Minister for Haryana. Talking to ANI, she said, “People and especially women aspire to have a female Chief Minister of Haryana.”
Talking about her contribution to the party, she said that she believed in hard work, she is a player of the party and she is confident of hard work. She also added that the final decision will be taken by the party high command.

Difficult To Nudge Bhupinder Hooda

However, political observers believe, the path for the office of the chief minister is not so easy. Former Chief Minister Bhoopinder Singh Hooda too is very close to Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi, he is known as a good administrator. The Jat leader was given a free hand in ticket distribution and it its alleged that lion’s share was cornered by Hooda-loyalists despite protest by Shelja followers. It is believed Hooda supporters may outnumber the sympathizers of the Dalit leader.

What Will Congress Do?

Political analysts believe the Jat leader enjoys the advantage of the dominance of his community in the politics of the state, the unhappiness of this community due to the government’s approach to the farmer agitation and later the treatment meted out to athlete Vinesh Phogat, a Jat. As the Congress has reportedly been able to consolidate its base in the community, it cannot ignore the leader, who belongs to the community.
On the other hand, Congress is eyeing Dalit votes on a pan-India basis and has focused on reservation and caste census. It cannot ignore a Dalit leader. It is up to the party to make a choice. In a way, its choice in Haryana will have far-reaching consequences across India and its politics.