Haryana News: Unpacking Congress’s Kumari Selja conundrum in assembly polls

Union Home Minister Amit Shah Monday labelled the Congress as an ‘anti-Dalit’ party for insulting leaders, including Kumari Selja. Shah was campaigning in Haryana, where assembly elections are scheduled for October 5.

“The Congress party has always insulted Dalit leaders, be it Ashok Tanwar or sister Kumari Selja,” said Shah, referring to Selja, the Sirsa MP who is reportedly ‘unhappy’ for being sidelined in the Congress party. Tanwar, former Congress president of Haryana joined the BJP in January this year. 

Two days ago, Union minister and former chief minister of Haryana Manohar Lal Khattar too invited Selja to join the BJP.

Shah, Khattar and other senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, including chief minister Nayab Singh Saini, have, in the past few days, hit out at the Congress party for ‘insulting’ Selja, the AICC general secretary and Sirsa Member of Parliament (MP).

Absence triggers speculation

Selja’s absence from the Congress campaign in Haryana had triggered speculation about her next move, more so when the grand old party seems confident of making a comeback in the state after a decade.

Selja was seen last time in the campaign on September 11 when she drummed up support of Shalley Chaudhary, the Congress’s candidate in the Naraingarh Assembly constituency, and Shamsher Singh Gogi, the party’s Assandh nominee.

Selja has stayed at her Delhi residence over the last ten days where she has been meeting party workers. She was conspicuous by her absence even during the Congress party’s manifesto release event at the AICC headquarters in Delhi on September 18.

Selja, one of the prominent Dalit faces in the Congress, however, responded to BJP’s invites on Monday. “BJP leaders should refrain from giving me advice”, said 61-year-old Selja, the Panchayat AajTak event.

‘Unhappy over ticket distribution’

Haryana Congress is known for its factions. Selja and another AICC general secretary Randeep Surjewala are known critics of the camp led by former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

Reports suggested that Selja is ‘upset’ over the ticket distribution for the assembly polls to the 90 seats in Haryana. She had sought 30 to 35 seats for her camp but the Congress ultimately allotted 72 tickets to the faction led by Bhupinder Hooda, according to a report in the Print. Selja, sources said, failed to secure tickets for her aides even in her Lok Sabha seat, Sirsa which she by over 2.6 lakh votes in 2024 general elections.

What made matters worse was when Congress worker made a casteist remark against Selja during the nomination event of Jassi Petwad, the Congress candidate for Narnaund last week. Petwad is considered close to Deepender Hooda, son of Bhupinder Hooda. The incident that went viral on social media prompted the Haryana Congress leadership, including Bhupinder Hooda, to issue condemnation.

Rahul Gandhi intervenes

Reports suggested that Selja will rejoin the campaign on September 26. The MP, who has been sulking over being sidelined by the Bhupinder Singh Hooda camp, met Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in New Delhi late September 22. Kharge reportedly heard her out and assured her that her grievances would be redressed.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is also said to have intervened to resolve the rift concerns in Haryana. He had asked Ashok Gehlot, the party’s election in-charge for Haryana, to convincing Selja to get back in the campaign, according to a report in New Indian Express.

Selja’s absence from the campaign had raised concerns for the Congress party, especially for the Dalit community which comprise about 20 per cent of the votes in Haryana. There are 17 Scheduled Castes-reserved seats in 90-member Haryana assembly and Selja holds good command in most of these seats, according to reports.

“Kumari Selja has solidified her position as the Dalit community’s representative in Haryana. She emerged as a powerful leader during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections by winning with an overwhelming margin. This connection was reflected in the overwhelming support the Congress received from Dalit voters during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Haryana,” Jyoti Mishra, a researcher at the Centre for Studies on Democratic Societies (CSDS), told The Print.

Congress needs both

Congress cannot afford to annoy Selja and Hooda. A Dalit leader in Selja will help to seek the votes within the community, comprising about one-fifth of voters in Haryana. It also goes with Rahul Gandhi’s stand on reservations and caste census. The significance of Dailt votes is even more given the alliance of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) with the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD). Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar’s Aazad Samaj Party (ASP) is also in the fray as an alliance partner of the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP).

Conversely, Hooda is a popular leader of Jats, a community pivotal for Congress fortunes in Haryana with an estimated 25 per cent of voters. Hooda, the former two-time chief minister has delivered too. Congress wrested five of the 10 Lok Sabha seats from the ruling BJP in the 2024 general elections. And a large part of the credit for this has been given to Hooda.

“My good friend (Kumari) Selja ji has not said a single word against Mr Hooda, nor has Mr Hooda said a word against Ms Selja. So we are a united party. We will fight this election in a united manner,” Congress leader P Chidambaram said recently.