Will Kumari Selja be Haryana Chief Minister? Bhupinder Hooda says...

Kumari Selja, a prominent Dalit leader and a five-time Congress MP, has recently hinted that her name would be among those considered for the chief minister's post in Haryana.

In Short

• Congress likely to win majority in Haryana, India Today exit poll predicts
• Bhupinder Hooda says chief minister will be decided by high command
• Kumari Selja hopes Congress high command will consider her name

Senior Congress leader and former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda exuded confidence that his party was going to form government with a comfortable majority in the state and reiterated that the decision on chief minister would be taken by high command.

The India Today-CVoter exit poll predicted a clear majority for the Congress in Haryana with the grand old party likely to win 50-58 out of the 90 seats, surpassing the majority mark. The survey also predicted that the BJP, which is looking for a hat-trick of wins in the state, is likely to get 20-28 seats, a drop from 40 seats in 2019.

[Health warning: Exit polls can get it wrong]

When asked about Kumari Selja, who is one of the aspirants for the chief minister's post in Haryana, the 77-year-old Hooda said politics is such that one can have aspirations, "but there is a procedure that legislators will give their opinion and high command will decide".

"It (Chief Minister post) is everyone's right. This is democracy. Whatever decision the high command takes, we will accept it. She (Kumari Selja) is our senior leader," Bhupinder Hooda said.

Kumari Selja, a prominent Dalit leader and a five-time MP, on Thursday hinted that her name would be among those considered for the chief minister's post by the Congress high command.

"There will be some people in the consideration zone and I think Selja will be among them," she said in an interview with news agency ANI, adding that leadership will weigh factors such as seniority and contributions to the party before finalising their decision.

OTHER EXIT POLLS ON HARYANA

Polling for all 90 Assembly constituencies in Haryana happened on Saturday. The BJP is aiming to defend its 10-year reign, while the Congress is seeking to reclaim power.

Dainik Bhaskar forecast the Congress winning between 44 and 54 seats, leaving the BJP with 15 to 29. The Republic-Matrize poll projected an even larger margin for the Congress, giving them 55 to 62 seats, compared to the BJP's 18 to 24.

Likewise, the Red Mike-Datansh exit poll predicts the Congress securing 50 to 55 seats, with the BJP trailing at 20 to 25. Dhruv Research echoes this trend, placing the Congress at 50 to 64 seats and the BJP at 22 to 32.

The Peoples' Pulse exit poll also suggests a significant lead for the Congress, predicting them to win 49 to 60 seats, while the BJP is expected to claim 20 to 32 seats.