ON THE other hand the All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary and party’s Haryana affairs in-charge BK Hariprasad admitted that the senior party leaders from Haryana including Hooda will join their counterparts in the adjacent states to woo the voters. Senior leaders from Haryana Congress would be asked to campaign in various segments in the neighbouring states, the source added.

Chief Minister Hooda has already announced that he would start campaign for his party candidates on January 21 from Lehra-Gaga Assembly segment. Later on if party leadership and candidates ask, they would also campaign for other areas in Punjab.

Interestingly, the seat comprising a major chunk of Hindu ‘Jat’ voters, belongs to former Punjab CM Rajinder Kaur Bhattal who had also campaigned for Congress candidate Jernail Singh in Ratia by-election where the party won the contest after nearly 29 years. At the same time, Congress’s win in Ratia brought a lot of admiration for Hooda who has been criticised by his detractors after party’s humiliating defeat in Hisar Lok Sabha by-election.

Sources revealed that being a politician from the Jat community, Hooda will also be given the responsibility to ensure more votes in western Uttar Pradesh where his community has a stronghold in many areas. Similarly, another senior Congress leader and State Power Minister Captain Ajay Singh Yadav, has already been sent to UP to campaign for the party candidates in the areas having a major chunk of voters belonging to Yadav community.

A Haryana Minister belonging to Sikh community, Harmohinder Singh Chatha will also campaign for some Congress heavyweights in Punjab in their Assembly constituencies. Apart from the constituencies of Punjab adjacent to Haryana, Chatha will also campaign in the Assembly constituencies of Patiala and Lehra-Gaga belonging to Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PCCC) Captain Amarinder Singh and former Punjab CM Rajinder Kaur Bhattal respectively, sources said. Haryana Minister and senior Congress leader Mahender Pratap Singh is also likely to be sent to UP to campaign in the districts bordering Haryana where the Gujjar community has a stronghold.

Apart from these leaders, other Haryana Congress bigwigs including Kiran Choudhry, Randeep Singh Surjewala and others will be campaigning for their party candidates in Punjab and UP.