NEW DELHI: The Congress’ Central Election Committee met here on Monday and finalised the names of 34 candidates for the assembly polls in Haryana.The AICC in-charge of Haryana, Deepak Babaria, said a final list would be released by Wednesday.He also said the speculation surrounding Vinesh Phogat would also be laid to rest by Tuesday.”Today, a meeting was held for Haryana by the Central Election Committee (CEC). A list of 49 names was presented by the state’s screening committee, out of which 34 have been approved and 15 are pending,” Babaria said.”Names of 22 (sitting) MLAs have also been cleared. The meeting will continue tomorrow (Tuesday) and hopefully the final list will be announced the day after tomorrow,” he said.Babaria said some names had been sent to the review committee and a call would be taken on those on Tuesday by the panel, which includes the Congress’ Haryana unit chief and the legislature party leader.He said the criteria for candidature was based on the winnability of leaders whose names came up in surveys and who had not lost elections more than two times.Sources said former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s name was also on the list approved on Monday.Babaria said the meeting will continue on Tuesday and there will be a discussion about the remaining 41 seats.Asked whether all the names will be declared in the first list or some will be kept on hold, Babaria said that all names will be released together.Asked about his remarks earlier that the high command will decide on MPs contesting the elections, Babaria said, “Till now I have not received any information from the high command, in which it has been said that any MP has to contest the elections.” In response to another question asked about Rao Narbir Singh contesting elections from the Congress, Babaria said that talks are going on and the state leadership is looking into it, but no final decision has been taken yet.On Haryana MLA Devendra Singh Babli, who joined the BJP on Monday, Babaria said that he wanted to join the Congress.”He had come to my office in the State Committee and the AICC, and I had made it clear to him that there was opposition from many workers about him that his role in the farmers’ movement was very negative… he also contributed to the oppression of farmers in some way or the other, and overall his image was that of an anti-common person,” he said.”When he came, he asked for a ticket. I had clearly told him that ‘you have not joined the party yet and that at this time, it is difficult to commit a ticket to you,” Babaria said.The Election Commission on Saturday deferred the Haryana assembly poll date to October 5 from October 1, saying the decision was taken keeping in mind a centuries-old festival of the Bishnoi community.The counting of votes for Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana assembly polls will be held on October 8, the poll body said.
Source link
