Haryana Assembly Polls: Congress Relies On Bhupinder Hooda Again But Can Veteran Politician Unseat BJP?

Haryana assembly elections are just a few months away. The state is set to witness a triangular contest with the BJP, Congress and Jannayak Janta Party set to clash with each other. The BJP eighty-sixed ties with the JJP ahead of the Lok Sabha polls and is likely to go solo in the assembly polls. It's most likely that neither Congress nor BJP will opt for a pre-poll alliance. Moreover, entry of the Aam Aadmi Party into the political fray has made the contest even more interesting. Amid all this, the Congress has opted to rely on its old warhorse Bhupinder Singh Hooda. The former chief minister is looking to kill two birds with one stone this time - cementing his family's position in state politics and silencing the critics. 

Hooda followed Nitish Kumar and Siddaramaiah to claim that this would be his last election. When he said this in a meeting with Rahul Gandhi, the former Congress president remarked that even Siddaramaiah returned to active politics after fighting his 'last' election. Bhupinder Hooda is not just trying to help Congress stage a return but also to secure his family's political future. 

Bhupinder Hooda's Political Career 

At 25, Bhupinder Hooda assumed the presidency of the Congress party's Kiloi Block committee. By 1991, at age 44, Hooda had entered the Lok Sabha. Five years later, he took on the role of president of the Haryana Congress unit. Another four years passed, and he became the leader of the opposition in the state assembly. Hooda's career reached a new height in 2005 when he was appointed as the chief minister of Haryana. As another election approaches, Hooda remains a dominant figure, with the Congress leadership in Delhi essentially handing over control to him in Haryana.

Power Play - Lok Sabha To Assembly Polls

Of the 10 Lok Sabha seats of Haryana, the Congress contested nine seats. Of these, Hooda managed to get eight seats for his loyalist including one for his son who got elected to the Lok Sabha from Rohtak. Now, if the Congress manages to form a government in Haryana, Hooda is likely to get the reigns of the state once again. 

After becoming chief minister for the second time in 2009, Hooda strengthened his standing within the party. Meanwhile, his former supporters attempted to build opposition against him. They believed their chance had come in 2014 and again in 2019, following the Congress party's failure to regain power in the state and its poor performance in the Lok Sabha elections. However, by then, Hooda had solidified his control over the party's framework, limiting the influence and options for leaders such as Selja and Randeep Surjewala.

Previously, when the central leadership attempted to control him by appointing Gandhi loyalists Ashok Tanwar and Selja as state presidents, Hooda responded with a strategy of non-cooperation, making it challenging for them to function effectively. He also worked to diminish the influence of the Bansi Lal family—Surender and Kiran Choudhary—and Birender Choudhary. As Haryana heads into another election season, the same scenario is unfolding: Hooda's camp is taking charge while Selja and Surjewala conduct a parallel campaign.

The BJP Challenge

Apart from the internal party politics, Hooda also faces a BJP challenge. While there may be anti-incumbency factor at the play, the BJP under Nayab Singh Saini has played the OBC card to woo the voters ahead of the polls. The BJP has actively working to make key changes at the organisation level as well after the Lok Sabha defeat and the Congress cannot take the polls for granted.