Congress will fight all 10 Haryana LS seats: Bhupinder Singh Hooda

Chandigarh: Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Tuesday asserted that the Congress is capable of winning on its own and will fight all the 10 Lok Sabha seats in the state in next year's parliamentary election.

Earlier, Hooda had also asserted that the Congress is capable of winning the 2024 state Assembly polls on its own.

Hooda was told that 26 opposition parties have formed the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) to take on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) unitedly in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and asked if the Congress is considering stitching up another coalition with any of those parties, such as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which has a presence in Haryana too, for the polls.

Responding to this, Hooda told reporters here, "As far as Haryana is concerned, the Congress is capable of winning on its own".

"The Congress will fight all 10 (Lok Sabha) seats", Hooda asserted.

At present, all the Lok Sabha seats in the state are with the BJP.

Asked if there could be a tie up with the AAP for the assembly elections, Hooda quipped, "In Haryana, the Congress is capable on its own".

Hooda also said, "The AAP fought Adampur assembly bypolls last year where they forfeited security. There should be a basis to claim seat.." Hooda, who is Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly, claimed people of Haryana have made up their mind to form a Congress government in 2024.

The Assembly polls are due in Haryana towards the year end.

Hooda was also asked that infighting within the state Congress camp had come to fore when All India Congress Committee (AICC) coordinators and state unit coordinators recently held talks across Haryana with party workers and leaders for feedback on the restructuring of the state Congress.

"There is no groupism, the Congress is united," Hooda said.

When it was pointed out that party workers even resorted to sloganeering outside the venues where meetings were held, Hooda sought to downplay the issue, saying "it only shows that there is enthusiasm and energy among workers".

To another question, Hooda said, "No (Haryana Congress) leader is against me, you (media) come out with such stories." Meanwhile, on the Nuh violence, Hooda reiterated his demand that there should be judicial inquiry into it monitored by a high court judge.

"The chief minister had earlier pointed towards a conspiracy in this (Nuh violence). Therefore, we had demanded a judicial probe.

"Who hatched the conspiracy, who were the conspirators, for this a judicial probe is needed," he said.