Congress Releases First List of Candidates for Haryana Assembly Elections

In a bold move ahead of the Haryana Assembly elections, the Congress party unveiled its first list of 31 candidates on Friday. The announcement came shortly after Olympic wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia joined the party, with Phogat set to contest from the Julana seat.

The Congress has also fielded former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda from Garhi Sampla-Kiloi, underscoring its commitment to both seasoned leadership and fresh faces. Notable candidates include Surender Panwar from Sonipat, Jagbir Singh Malik from Gohana, and Bharat Bhushan Batra from Rohtak.

Haryana Congress chief Udai Bhan will run from Hodal, while Mewa Singh is set to challenge Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Saini from Ladwa. Other notable candidates include Kuldeep Vata from Badli, Geeta Bhukkal from Jhajjar (reserved for SC), Chiranjeev Rao from Rewari, Aftab Ahmed from Nuh, and Neeraj Sharma from Faridabad NIT.

The list was revealed following a meeting of the Central Election Committee (CEC) in Delhi, attended by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, former party chief Sonia Gandhi, and key party leaders including K.C. Venugopal and Deepak Babaria.

With Haryana’s Assembly elections scheduled for October 5 and the results set to be counted on October 8, the Congress party’s diverse lineup aims to make a strong impact on voters across the state.