The Haryana Congress remains divided over leadership appointments, with no clear consensus on the selection of the new Congress Legislative Party (CLP) leader.
According to sources, former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has put forward two names for the opposition leader position while also lobbying for his son’s appointment as Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) president. Yet, there is no clear consensus within the party on selecting the new CLP leader, as a faction opposes former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s claim to the post. Yet, a leader asserted that "the majority of MLAs support Hooda," who served as the Leader of the Opposition in the previous assembly.
Moreover, the Haryana Congress, in a meeting on Wednesday, urged B.K. Hariprasad, the newly appointed state in-charge, to expedite the appointment of CLP leader ahead of the budget session beginning on March 7. The party emphasized that having a CLP leader in place is “extremely important” to ensure effective representation as the opposition leader in the assembly.
However, leaders at the AICC think that the high command is somehow certain to sideline the leaders who have not been able to perform. The party had given Bhupendra Hooda a free hand during the recent assembly elections of Haryana. According to an AICC leader, "Rahul Gandhi wants to infuse energy in the cadres across the country and therefore he wants to bring in young blood. Moreover, he is also almost certain that the party will switch to second-line leadership and give opportunity to people who can work and perform."
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Yet there are leaders in the party who think the matter will continue to persist and the Congress central leadership will find it difficult to be clear and appoint a leader of its choice.
Nearly five months have passed since Congress suffered its third consecutive defeat to the BJP in Haryana since 2014, yet the party has not named its legislature party leader. As a result, Congress MLAs have attended three assembly sittings without a designated LoP, raising concerns over the party’s effectiveness in the house.