Nagaland Congress leader Rajesh Sethi appointed as observer for Haryana assembly elections

The Congress party has geared itself up for the crucial assembly elections in Haryana. It is being generally given out that three prominent sections of voters in Haryana wrestlers, farmers and army soldiers have made the BJP’s task of retaining power difficult.

In a key decision, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) Minority Department, Chairman and Rajya Sabha MP Imran Pratapgarhi announced that Rajesh Kumar Sethi, a Congress leader from Nagaland and the National Coordinator In-charge of Manipur State, has been appointed as the Observer for the upcoming Haryana  Assembly elections.

He will be chiefly responsible for improving Congress prospects in the Narwana Assembly constituency.

Sethi expressed his gratitude to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, K Raju, and Chairman Imran Pratapgarhi for entrusting him with this important role. 

He acknowledged the support of the Congress leadership in forming a robust team for Haryana and ensuring his active involvement in the efforts to establish a Congress government in the state.

The appointment is seen as a strategic move by the Congress party to strengthen its position in the Haryana Assembly elections. Sethi’s role as Observer will involve overseeing the electoral process and ensuring smooth operations in the Narwana Assembly constituency.  

Senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala had contested from Narwana and won the seat in 1996 and 2005. It's a typical anti-BJP bastion. In 2009 Pirthi Singh of Indian National Lok Dal and in 2014 and 2019 Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) nominee Ram Niwas had won the seat. 

The Congress party lost power in Haryana in 2014 but in the run up to this year's polls, the mood is upbeat in the grand old party.  

Reports however say, there is some concern due to infighting. The war over the choice of candidates was too intense with the dominant Bhupinder Hooda camp trumping Kumari Selja’s. The party leadership also managed to persuade at least 10 rebels, who could have marred the prospects of Congress candidates. 

This year, Congress has fielded Satbir Dablain from Narwana while Krishan Kumar Bedi and Vidya Rani are contesting from the BJP and the INLD respectively. 

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