By IANS,
Chandigarh : Stung by the electoral humiliation in the Hisar parliamentary by-election, Haryana’s ruling Congress said Friday that internal sabotage had led to the defeat of its candidate Jai Prakash, who came third and lost his deposit.
Senior Congress leaders, including Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, openly admitted at a meeting of the state Congress that anti-party activities by certain leaders led to the Congress defeat, sources said.
Hooda did not take any names but said detractors in the Congress had led to the defeat.
“They have crossed all limits. Action should be taken against them,” a party insider quoted Hooda as saying.
However, Jai Prakash and other leaders, it is learnt, named Rajya Sabha MP Birender Singh and union minister Kumari Selja for the Congress defeat.
“I have faced the worst in these elections. My defeat was Sonia Gandhi’s humiliation. Detractors should not get Congress ticket any longer,” an upset Jai Prakash said at the meeting.
Kuldeep Bishnoi of the Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC)-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) combine won the election, defeating his nearest rival Ajay Singh Chautala of the Indian National Lok Dal by over 6,300 votes.
Jai Prakash finished a poor third. He polled only 149,784 votes compared to 355,941 votes of Bishnoi and 349,618 of Chautala.
The Hisar by-election had gained prominence also because Anna Hazare and his team had campaigned against the Congress.