Congress leader Kumari Selja hints at contesting for Haryana CM position

Virtually throwing her hat in the ring for the Haryana chief minister's post in case the Congress gets a majority, senior party leader Kumari Selja on Friday said people do have ambitions "individually and community-wise" and went on to ask "why not".

Months after winning the Lok Sabha polls from Sirsa, the former Union minister and the Congress' prominent Dalit face also indicated her desire to contest the upcoming assembly elections and said she wishes to work in the state but the high command will take a final call on the matter.

In an interaction with PTI editors at the news agency's headquarters here, Selja brushed aside talk of factionalism hampering the party's chances in the polls, saying everyone gets down to groundwork together as "one Congress camp" when elections come.

"I am very practical and I will answer you very frankly. In any organisation, there will always be push, pull and going for your space. That is part of any organisation and that will always be there. It is ambition, working, jostling for your space, all this is there. But having said that, (it's there) till tickets (are announced). I would also say that when elections come...everyone gets down to groundwork," Selja, who turns 62 next month, said.

On being asked if the various camps in Haryana Congress would come together, she said, "Everyone has his or her ambition...It is the Congress camp, ultimately all are working for the party."

She also dismissed talk of factionalism with senior leaders undertaking separate campaign programmes in the run up to the polls, saying they are all doing it for the Congress.

Discussing the possibility of a post-poll tie-up, Selja asserted that there will be no hung assembly and the Congress will get an "excellent majority".

"We are in touch with the people on the ground. They are totally against the BJP," she said.

"The Lok Sabha results came and in assembly polls also very good results will come and we will form the government."

Asked if the Congress would declare a chief ministerial face ahead of the polls, Selja said the party has certain ways of doing things.

"When you are in government, obviously the person who has been CM leads the party. But when you are in the opposition, the party hardly ever projects a chief ministerial face."

To a pointed question on whether she is in the running for chief minister in case the Congress gets a majority, Selja said, "Individually and community-wise, people do have their ambitions. Why not?"

On being seen as a future chief minister of Haryana, she said, "That is for my party and high command to decide."

She also said she had worked at the Centre for long and would now like to move to the state level.

"I have done a lot of politics at the Centre, I wish to work at the state level. Peoples' works are more related to the state. So I wish to work in the state, rest the high command has to decide finally but yes I definitely wish so," she said in response to a question on whether she would contest assembly polls.

With the Congress talking about a caste census, does she feel it should also have a CM from the Dalit community in the upcoming polls?

Caste, she replied, is a reality in the country and everyone has expectations, be it individually or community-wise.

"There are no two ways about it that SCs have voted in a large majority for the Congress and have been the backbone of the Congress, so there are expectations also. If other people or other sections project themselves for the CM post, then awareness has increased a lot and so the question arises, why not from the SC community?"

"We should also have the confidence to stand up and say, why not us," she asked.

The Election Commission last week Friday announced that polls to the 90-member Haryana assembly will be held on October 1 and the results declared on October 4. With the announcement of polls, the Model Code of Conduct has come into force in the state.

Haryana is currently ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Congress is looking to unseat the BJP and return to power after 10 years in the opposition.

After the last assembly elections, the BJP formed a coalition government with the Jannayak Janta Party. However, the coalition broke after disagreements over seat sharing in the Lok Sabha elections. Later, the BJP saved its government with the support of Independent MLAs.

In the Lok Sabha elections, held a few months ago, the BJP and the Congress won five seats each of the 10 seats in Haryana.