Haryana polls: Former Congress chief backs Dushyant Chautala's party

Days ahead of Haryana assembly polls, former Congress chief Ashok Tanwar has backed Dushyant Chautala's Jananayak Janta Party. Dushyant Chautala represents the newly formed Jannayak Janta Party and belongs to now-divided political clan that has produced the likes of Devi Lal and Om Prakash Chautala. He is contesting against BJP's current MP Prem Lata from Uchana Kalan constituency in Jind district of Haryana. Notably, she too belongs to a political family, being the wife of former Union minister and Rajya Sabha MP Birender Singh. Tanwar has, however, added that he will not join the party but will support it for the assembly polls. 

READ: Bhupinder Singh Hooda to follow up on massive 'Congress has lost its way' dissatisfaction, details here

Congress former chief resigns

Earlier, in a huge setback to the Congress party ahead of assembly polls in Haryana, its former state chief Ashok Tanwar resigned. Even as the party named him as a star campaigner for the upcoming assembly polls, he resigned. His decision came amid reports of tussle in the Haryana Congress between Tanwar and Bhupinder Singh Hooda. Days ahead of his move, he was removed from the post of Haryana Congress chief, and Kumari Selja was named as the party's state president.

Making a scathing attack on the party, Tanwar, in his resignation letter titled 'Resignation from party's primary membership, said that the Congress party is going through an 'existential crisis'. He added that it is because of the 'internal contradictions' in the party. He said that Congress has now become ''anti-thesis of democracy and plagued by feudal attitudes." He went on to add that as per his experience in the past few years the internal democracy in the party is 'killed by few lobbies'. 

READ: Ashok Tanwar won't be given entry into BJP: Manohar Lal Khattar

Haryana CM says Tanwar won't be inducted in BJP

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Saturday ruled out any possibility of inducting former state Congress chief Ashok Tanwar into the BJP fold after the latter quit his party. Khattar slammed the opposition Congress, saying Tanwar's allegations of irregularities in ticket allotment have exposed the party and asserted only those people who have a "clean past" and "carry no baggage" will be allowed to join the BJP. We will not give him (Tanwar) entry (into BJP), he told reporters in Karnal. 

READ: Haryana polls: Ashok Tanwar quits Congress, exposes internal 'lobbies'

Haryana state elections

The Election Commission on September 21 announced the dates for the upcoming Assembly polls for Haryana and Maharashtra. Polling on the 90 seats of Haryana will take place on October 21 and counting will take place on October 24. The term of Haryana assembly expires on November 2. Below is the detailed schedule of the upcoming elections: 

• Gazette Notification to be issued: September 27
• Last date of nominations: October 4
• Date for Scrutiny of Nomination - October 5
• Last Date for Withdrawal of Candidatures - October 7
• Polling on all 90 seats: October 21
• Results of the elections: October 24
• Conclusion of elections: October 27

READ: Rahul Gandhi's aide Ashok Tanwar goes after Cong, alleges 'conspiracy'