In a big win for Haryana’s Congress party, leaders have kept veteran politician Bhupinder Singh Hooda as the Leader of Opposition. The 78-year-old, who served two terms as Chief Minister from 2005 to 2014, earned the role after months of internal talks and delays.
The party’s top brass made the announcement on Monday through a letter from General Secretary K.C. Venugopal, acting on orders from Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge. They also named Rao Narender Singh as the new head of the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee, stepping in for Udhai Bhan—a close ally of Hooda. The party thanked Bhan for his hard work during his time in charge.
Hooda fought hard across Haryana to boost Congress in the recent state elections. Even though the party didn’t grab power, he held onto his stronghold in the Garhi Sampla-Kiloi constituency. On October 8, 2024, he beat BJP candidate Manju by a huge margin of 70,626 votes.
Now, Hooda is firing sharp criticism at the ruling BJP government in Haryana over its handling of farmers’ issues. He says officials are putting up roadblocks during the key crop procurement season, like dragging out tenders, not providing enough gunny bags, and delaying payments. These problems, Hooda argues, are hurting farmers’ wallets and seem like a deliberate move by the BJP to weaken rural communities.
Hooda’s long career started as a lawyer and took off in the Youth Congress. He won four terms as a Member of Parliament from Rohtak between 1991 and 2004. From 2001 to 2004, he led the opposition in the Haryana Assembly. His big moment came in 2005 when Congress won the state polls, and he became Chief Minister. Voters gave him a rare second term in 2009—the first re-election for a ruling party in Haryana since 1972.
As Haryana gears up for more political battles, Hooda’s role could keep the spotlight on key issues like agriculture and state governance.
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