Former Haryana Congress president Ashok Tanwar and senior leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda are set for a politically charged reunion in Chandigarh, as Rahul Gandhi is set to convene a crucial meeting aimed at resolving persistent factionalism within the state unit on Wednesday.
The meeting, part of the Congress leader’s ongoing efforts to revive the party organisation across various states, comes nearly six months after the Lok Sabha elections and amid a vacuum in the post of Leader of the Opposition in Haryana.
Tanwar, who once walked out of the Congress accusing a few individuals of running it like a personal fiefdom, is expected to come face-to-face with Hooda under Gandhi’s supervision. Tanwar, who briefly aligned with both the BJP and Aam Aadmi Party, rejoined the Congress during the recent election campaign.
When Tanwar was re-inducted into the Congress, Hooda had publicly stated he had no objection. However, Wednesday’s meeting may test that sentiment.
The meeting is expected to witness tense undercurrents, with several known Hooda detractors in attendance. Among them is Birender Chaudhary, a vocal critic of Hooda’s leadership style. However, the dissenting camp has thinned somewhat — former Congress leader Kiran Choudhry, another fierce Hooda opponent, has joined the BJP and will not be attending.
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Kumari Selja, another senior leader, will be absent as the meeting is restricted to MLAs and non-MP leaders. Her factional ally Randeep Surjewala will attend, as will Chiranjeev Rao, representing his father Captain Ajay Yadav.
Rahul Gandhi has attempted similar reconciliations in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, but the deep-rooted divisions in Haryana Congress have proven particularly intractable. Hooda continues to be the tallest leader in the state unit, but his dominance has long been challenged by a loosely aligned group of dissenters — once informally referred to as the "SRK group" (Selja, Randeep, Kiran).
Observers expect both Tanwar and Chaudhary to voice their concerns openly at the meeting. Both leaders have in the past accused Hooda of high-handedness in candidate selection, especially during the 2019 Assembly elections. That year, Tanwar, as state president, had attempted to give tickets to his preferred candidates, clashing with Hooda’s push for loyalists.
The Congress high command, sources say, remains wary of naming a Leader of the Opposition until a consensus emerges. With the organisational structure still unsettled and elections to the state Assembly not far off, Wednesday’s meeting is viewed as Rahul Gandhi’s last real opportunity to bring cohesion to the fractured unit.
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