'Rebel' Ashok Tanwar figures in Congress list of star campaigners for Haryana

Former Haryana Congress president Ashok Tanwar, who protested outside party leader Sonia Gandhi's home in Delhi over the distribution of tickets, figures in the list of star campaigners for the assembly polls in the state.

Cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu, who was among the party's top campaigners in the last Lok Sabha polls, has been kept out.

The 40-member list includes the party's top central leadership - former prime minister Manmohan Singh, interim Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, as well as Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh.

Chief ministers from other Congress-ruled states Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan -- too will seek votes for the party, which is eyeing to wrest power in Haryana from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

Despite openly expressing resentment over the party's list of candidates in Haryana, Tanwar too is being called upon to campaign.

He had earlier resigned from all party panels and protested outside 10, Janpath in New Delhi, claiming that he had heard of bribes being paid for Congress tickets in Haryana.

He was recently replaced by Kumari Selja as the Haryana unit president, following pressure mounted on the central leadership by former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

Former Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu, missing from the list of Haryana campaigners, has been maintaining a low profile after resigning from the Amarinder Singh-led cabinet.

Sidhu had been at loggerheads with the Punjab chief minister.

Others in the list of Haryana campaigners include Ghulam Nabi Azad, Ahmed Patel, who is Congress general secretary-in charge for Haryana, and Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

Hooda, recently appointed the Haryana Congress Legislature Party chief, is also contesting the polls.

Anand Sharma, Salman Khurshid, Kumari Selja, Ajay Singh Yadav, Kiran Chaudhary, Randeep Singh Surjewala, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Kuldeep Bishnoi, Rajiv Shukla, Sachin Pilot, Rajiv Babbar, Sunil Jakhar, Pawan Khera, Mukesh Agnihotri and Nagma will also campaign for the party candidates.

Surjewala, Kiran Chaudhary and Bishnoi are also contesting the assembly polls.

The polling to 90-member Haryana Assembly will be held on October 21 and the results declared on October 24.