The Congress party is navigating a tumultuous sea of ticket applications from Haryana as a staggering 2,556 hopefuls vie for nominations across 90 assembly seats in Haryana.
With a flood of applications, the party has secured a financial lifeline, amassing over Rs 5 crore in application fees. However, this flood of interest also presents a daunting challenge for party leadership, who must now sift through a complex array of contenders.
In the deluge of applications, men dominate with 2,140 submissions compared to just 416 from women. Constituencies reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC) have seen particularly high engagement, with Nilokheri leading the pack at 88 applications, followed by Julana with 86 and Bhawani Khera (SC) with 78. Other notable high-response constituencies include Badhra, Ukalana (SC), and Shahbad (SC) as the each constituency has witnessed over 50 applications for the ticket.
Former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s stronghold of Garhi Sampla Kiloi has stood out for a different reason: it saw only one application from Hooda himself. Hodal, too, has been relatively quiet, with only two applicants—Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee President Udai Bhan and local leader Jitender Chandelia. In Palwal, where Karan Dalal remains a prominent contender, only three applications were received.
Notably, Congress stalwart and Rajya Sabha MP Randeep Singh Surjewala chose not to apply for the Kaithal seat this time. Also Sirsa MP Kumar Selja did not apply for assembly ticket.
Similarly, independent MLAs Randhir Gollen from Pundri and Dharampal Gonder from Nilokheri also refrained from seeking Congress tickets. Conversely, independent MLA Sombir Sangwan has thrown his hat into the ring for Dadri, while former Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) MLA Ram Karan Kala seeks the Congress ticket for Shahbad. The party’s application surge includes several high-profile figures, including former MPs Brijender Singh, Sushil Indora, and Kailash Saini, who have applied for Uchana Kalan, Ratia (SC), and Ladwa seats, respectively. Former Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee president Jagdish Jhinda and former JJP president Nishan Singh are also among the applicants, with Jhinda targeting Assandh and Singh vying for Tohana. Additionally, former MLA Nirmal Singh and his daughter Chitra Sarwara have applied for the Ambala City and Ambala Cantt constituencies, respectively.
There are several aspirants who have applied for tickets from multiple constituencies as Kailsho Sani has applied from the four constituencies, Avtar Bhadana and Sushil Indora have applied from each three constituencies from there. Rhe vast number of applications presents a significant hurdle for Congress leadership. A senior party official expressed optimism, stating, “The overwhelming number of applications signifies a strong wave in favor of the Congress party, which will undoubtedly translate into positive momentum for the upcoming elections.”
