Weeks ahead of the Haryana Assembly elections, the All India Congress Committee suspended rebel leader Chitra Sarwara for six years due to her involvement in "anti-party activities." Sarwara decided to contest as an independent candidate from Ambala Cantonment, where the Congress has fielded Parvinder Pal Pari to challenge six-time MLA and senior BJP leader Anil Vij.
The Congress stated that Sarwara's decision to run as an independent candidate against the party's official nominee is a 'violation' of its policy. "We have received multiple reports from Congress workers and candidates of the Ambala Cantt Vidhan Sabha regarding your involvement in activities contrary to the party's interests. Specifically, your participation as an independent candidate against the Congress candidate constitutes a violation of party policy," the official statement from the AICC said.
Voting for the 90-member Haryana legislative assembly is scheduled for October 5, with the counting of votes set for October 8, alongside Jammu and Kashmir. In the 2019 elections, the BJP emerged as the single-largest party, winning 40 seats, while the Congress secured 30 seats. On September 20, Haryana's Chief Electoral Officer, Pankaj Agarwal, announced that the Election Commission of India, in collaboration with the CEO's office, has introduced special measures to boost voter turnout in this election compared to the previous one.