Today in Politics: Congress to Begin Screening Candidates for Haryana Assembly Polls

On Monday, the Congress’s screening committee, led by Ajay Maken, will commence a four-day deliberation process to select candidates for the Haryana Assembly elections scheduled for October 1. Sources indicate that the committee will start consultations to vet candidates, a task that has gained added significance following recent comments by senior party leader and Lok Sabha MP Kumari Selja, who has expressed interest in the Chief Minister position.

The meeting, set to begin on August 26, will address the selection of candidates for the 90 Assembly seats in Haryana. The party is facing a substantial number of aspirants, with nearly 3,000 individuals vying for the positions.

This process follows a similar exercise for the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections and comes a day after Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi and party president Mallikarjun Kharge visited the Union Territory. During their visit, Gandhi and Kharge met with party leaders and workers in Srinagar and Jammu and engaged with the National Conference (NC) to solidify a pre-poll alliance.

Other Political Developments:

• Yogi Adityanath’s Janmashtami Visit: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is in Mathura for Janmashtami, where he will offer prayers to Lord Krishna. On Sunday, Adityanath inaugurated 137 projects worth Rs 583 crore, including a ropeway in Barsana and the Yamuna cruise. Notable projects include the Panchajanya Auditorium and the Laxman Shaheed Memorial Auditorium.
• Jharkhand Congress Campaign Launch: The Jharkhand Congress will kick off its “Samvad Aapke Saath” campaign, marking the beginning of its push for the upcoming December Assembly elections. This campaign follows the BJP’s recent Jan Aakrosh Rally in Ranchi, which criticized the JMM-Congress-RJD state government’s handling of job creation for the youth.
• India-Singapore Ministerial Meeting: Four Indian Union ministers—Nirmala Sitharaman, Piyush Goyal, S. Jaishankar, and Ashwini Vaishnaw—will attend the India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable in Singapore on August 26. This meeting aims to enhance trade and economic ties between the two nations. The ISMR, established to set a new agenda for bilateral relations, had its inaugural session in New Delhi in September 2022.