Kharge, Sonia, Rahul among 40 star campaigners for Cong in Haryana

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, party leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Bhupinder Hooda, Kumari Selja and Randeep Singh Surjewala are among the 40 star campaigners for the party for the October 5 Haryana Assembly polls.

The names of Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia, who were at the forefront of the wrestlers’ protest against then WFI chief and former BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, and recently joined the Congress, also figure in the list of the party’s star campaigners.

Among other prominent campaigners are Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, party’s Haryana affairs in-charge Deepak Babaria, State unit chief of the party Udai Bhan and Ajay Maken, Birender Singh, Anand Sharma and Sachin Pilot.

Former chief ministers Ashok Gehlot, Bhupesh Baghel, Charanjit Singh Channi also figure in the list of star campaigners.

Other senior leaders in the list are Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, Partap Singh Bajwa, Pawan Khera, Deepender Singh Hooda, Rajiv Shukla, Supriya Shrinate, Srinivas B V and Subhash Batra.

Hisar and Sonipat MPs Jai Prakash and Satpal Brahamchari, besides other leaders including Imran Pratapgarhi, Raj Babbar, Kanhaiya Kumar and Ajay Singh Yadav also figure on the list of party’s star campaigners.

Polling for the 90 assembly seats in Haryana will be held on October 5 and votes counted on October 8.

The ruling BJP is eyeing a hat-trick in the assembly polls but faces a stiff challenge from a resurgent Congress, which is looking to cash in on the anti-incumbency factor.