INLD’s 2 former Sirsa MPs join Congress

In a major setback to the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), its two former Sirsa MPs Charanjeet Singh Rori and Sushil Indora joined the Congress in the presence of party’s state president Kumari Selja on Tuesday.

Selja welcomed the two leaders into the party fold saying they will strengthen the party in Sirsa district.

“Both the leaders had also worked with my father Dalbir Singh and they will make efforts to ensure victory of the party candidates in the district. The people of Haryana have made up their mind to elect the Congress this time by ousting the BJP,” she added.

Indora, who won from the Sirsa (reserved) Lok Sabha seat in 1998 and 1999, assured Selja that he will ensure victory of Amit Sihag, Congress nominee from Dabwali seat, where he is pitted against BJP nominee Aditya Chautala, grandson of former deputy prime minister Devi Lal. He had defeated Selja in 1998 by over 90,000 votes.

Also, Rori, who won from the seat in 2014, said Shispal of the Congress will win from the Kalanwali (reserved) seat.

The two former MPs, who joined the Congress at a time when former state chief Ashok Tanwar resigned from the primary membership of the party over ticket distribution row, are hopeful of being fielded from Sirsa in the next parliamentary polls.

Tanwar won from here in the 2005 Lok Sabha polls but he tasted defeat in 2009 and 2014 general elections. Selja had won on the seat twice before shifting to Ambala in 2005. Her father Dalbir Singh represented the seat thrice in the lower house.