Kuldeep Sharma, a former Haryana assembly speaker, sent a letter to the state Congress unit on Thursday, demanding that the party refrain from designating a single chief ministerial face ahead of the 2029 elections.
The call follows Punjab’s recent decision to field the party under a collective leadership banner, with Sachin Pilot heading the campaign and Rahul Gandhi acting as campaign spokesperson.
Sharma warned that Haryana’s history of nominating a single figure—most recently the son of former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda—has repeatedly backfired, narrowing voter appeal.
He argued that a CM‑face strategy would curtail the party’s outreach and stunt coalition building, urging central leaders to make the CM choice once the national Congress organization finalizes its strategy.
The letter arrives as Haryana’s Congress unit wrestles with internal divisions; the next step is a meeting of state leaders scheduled for next week to decide the party’s electoral strategy.