Haryana Assembly Elections 2024: With the Haryana Assembly elections just weeks away, the Congress party appears to have sidelined Kumari Selja, a key Dalit leader known for her strong grassroots connections. Despite her loyalty and significant support base, the party leadership has marginalized her to strengthen the position of former Chief Minister Bhupendra Singh Hooda. This move has raised concerns of an anti-Dalit bias within the party.

Kumari Selja’s increasing political activity was abruptly halted before the elections, suggesting a calculated effort to diminish her role. While Rahul Gandhi has been vocal about addressing caste-related issues and supporting marginalized groups, within Congress, Selja’s voice has been notably suppressed. The party leadership seems hesitant to challenge Hooda's growing influence.

Hooda’s dominance within Haryana Congress has been a long-standing issue. His control was also evident during the recent Lok Sabha elections, where Selja pointed out that the party’s poor performance was due to unfair ticket distribution. She criticized Hooda's camp for giving tickets to outsiders, further emphasizing the arbitrary nature of decisions.

Out of 90 seats in Haryana, Congress is contesting 89, with 72 of those candidates being loyal to Hooda. In contrast, only nine candidates allied with Selja have made the list, highlighting the systematic marginalization of Dalit leaders in the party.

Selja’s influence within Haryana Congress has been deliberately curbed by Hooda’s camp, as shown in her failed attempts to secure tickets for her supporters, Vidya Rani Danoda and Himmat Singh. Despite her efforts, both candidates were dropped, further demonstrating how Hooda’s camp controls party decisions.

Following the Lok Sabha elections, Selja positioned herself as a contender for the Chief Minister’s post, expressing her interest in contesting the assembly elections. However, an order from the leadership preventing sitting MPs from contesting effectively blocked her aspirations.

This marginalization of Kumari Selja is not just a personal setback but an indication of broader power dynamics within Congress, revealing the party’s internal strategies. The treatment of Selja highlights the hypocrisy in Congress’s claims of Dalit representation, with the party serving its own interests through leaders like Bhupendra Singh Hooda.

The sidelining of Kumari Selja ahead of the Haryana Assembly elections exposes the internal power struggles within Congress, pointing to an anti-Dalit bias and the control of influential leaders in shaping party politics.

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