The Congress announced its first list of 32 candidates for the October 5 Assembly elections in Haryana on Friday evening, which includes two-time Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, veteran Congress leader, Olympian wrestler Vinesh Phogat, state unit chief Udai Bhan, and former minister Geeta Bhukkal.
The Congress has given tickets to 29 sitting legislators in the state. The party had initially declared a list of 31 candidates, before including the name of Balbir Singh, who is the sitting legislator from the Israna (SC) Assembly constituency.
While Hooda will contest from his stronghold Garhi Sampla-Killoi in Rohtak district, Phogat will make her electoral debut from Julana in Jind district.
The party's first list came hours after Phogat and Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Bajrang Punia joined the Congress at the party headquarters in Delhi.
Udai Bhan will contest from Hodal (SC), while Bhukkal has been fielded from Jhajjar (SC).
Excluding the two Olympians, other candidates named in the first list include Rao Dan Singh- a veteran lawmaker from Mahendragarh, Mewa Sing from Ladwa, from where BJP has fielded Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, Mamman Khan from Ferozepur Jhirka, Rajinder Singh Joon from Bahadurgarh and Surender Panwar from Sonipat.
Olympians Phogat and Punia formally joined the party on Friday, a day after meeting top party leader Rahul Gandhi.
While Phogat has got a ticket, Punia has been appointed the Working Chairman of the All India Kisan Congress.
On joining politics, Phogat said, "It was only the Congress which understood our tears. This is a new chapter in my life. I will work for other athletes so that they don't go through what we faced."
She also resigned from the Indian Railways citing personal reasons ahead of joining the party.
Badli legislator Kuldeep Vats has been retained on the seat. Sitting legislators Pradeep Chaudhary and Shalley Chaudhary have been fielded from Kalka and Naraingarh Assembly seat, respectively.
Shahbad sitting legislator Ram Karan who shifted loyalties to Congress from Dushyant Chautala's Jannayak Janta Party, has been given a ticket from the same seat.
The list was announced while negotiations between AAP and Congress are going on seat sharing. The Central Election Committee of Congress met here. The meeting was attended, among others, by party President Mallikarjun Kharge, former party chief Sonia Gandhi, General Secretary K.C. Venugopal and AICC state incharge Deepak Babaria besides Bhupinder Hooda.
Sources in the Congress said that senior leaders, including Bhupinder Hooda, expressed reservations over the tie-up with the Arvind Kejriwal-led party, saying AAP does not have much ground in the state.
The 90-member Haryana Assembly will go to the polls on October 5. The results will be out on October 8.
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