Candidates already applying for party ticket: Kumari Selja

With the Election Commission announcing the date for Haryana Assembly elections, Congress state president Kumari Selja on Sunday said prospective candidates are already applying for the party ticket and that due process will be followed in the selection process.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday announced the single-phase voting for Haryana Assembly elections on October 21, while the counting of votes will take place on October 24.

"We are fully prepared, today is our election manifesto committee meeting and on September 26 the Pradesh election committee will meet. Our candidates are already filling application forms. We will distribute tickets following due process," said Selja.

The Congress leader said that her party will focus on exposing the failures of the BJP government in the state on several fronts.

"The worthless government of BJP has done nothing. Our strategy is to expose the anti-government policies of Manohar Lal Khattar government. The chief Minister has toured across the state and those who try to speak something are stopped from doing so. Congress will take up the issue of women security, Dalits, backwards, unemployment among youth etc. The BJP government has failed in all these fronts," she said.

Speaking on the alleged dissidence in Haryana Congress, Selja said that there is no such issue and all will work for strengthening the party at the ground level.

"There is no issue left and Sonia Gandhi has taken a decision. This is a crucial time and we will all have to work together at the ground level for strengthening the Congress party," she said.

Haryana has a strength of 90 seats out of which 17 are reserved for SCs and none for STs. There are 1.82 crore registered voters in the state out of which 1.07 lakh are service voters.

Manohar Lal Khattar-led BJP government is in power in Haryana after the party won 47 out of a total of 90 seats in the 2014 Assembly elections, while the Congress was restricted to just 15 seats.

-ANI