Gurugram: An interview by Haryana’s Independent Rajya Sabha MP Kartikeya Sharma has reignited deep-seated factionalism within the state’s Congress unit, exposing unresolved tensions and triggering a fierce war of words.
Sharma’s claim during an interview 15 June with social media channel ‘The Ewer (Chill Pill)’ that Kiran Choudhry, then a Congress MLA and now a BJP Rajya Sabha MP, voted for him in the contentious 2022 Rajya Sabha election has reopened wounds from that high-stakes poll when Congress candidate Ajay Maken suffered a shock defeat.
The 2022 election saw Sharma, backed by the BJP and its then ally Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), edge out Maken by a razor-thin margin, with two Congress votes controversially declared invalid.
The results sparked immediate allegations of cross-voting and internal sabotage in the Congress, with fingers pointed at Choudhry and dissident MLA Kuldeep Bishnoi.
Congress MP Deepender Hooda, son of former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, seized on Sharma’s claim to take a swipe at Choudhry.
राज्य सभा सांसद कार्तिक शर्मा बता रहें है कि उन्हें भाजपा के विधायकों के साथ साथ INLD, JJP, और कांग्रेस के दो विधायकों किरण चौधरी और कुलदीप बिश्नोई ने वोट दे कर जिताने का काम किया।
जो राजनैतिक खेल पर्दे के पीछे खेला जा रहा था उसका पर्दा हट गया है।#सत्यमेवजयते pic.twitter.com/WprM2eUwz4
— Deepender Singh Hooda (@DeependerSHooda) June 16, 2025
“Rajya Sabha MP Kartikeya Sharma has revealed that he was elected not only with the support of BJP MLAs but also with votes from INLD, JJP, and two Congress MLAs — Kiran Choudhry and Kuldeep Bishnoi. The political game that was played behind the scenes has now been exposed,” he posted on X 16 June, sharing a clip of the interview with the hashtag #SatyamevaJayate (truth alone triumphs),
Sharma clarified his remarks via an X post 17 June, putting the responsibility back on the Congress.
“Regarding the viral video related to the Rajya Sabha elections, all I want to say is that Ajay Makenji and the Congress party themselves had stated Kiran Choudhry voted for me. However, the Rajya Sabha election process is highly confidential— only the MLA who cast the vote or the observer can truly confirm who voted for whom. I was not present there. It was Ajay Makenji who claimed who voted for me. So it would be better if the Congress and Ajay Makenji clarified who voted for whom. Instead of distorting the facts, it would be better to focus on public service,” he wrote.
राज्यसभा चुनाव को लेकर वायरल वीडियो पर मुझे इतना ही कहना है कि अजय माकन जी और कांग्रेस पार्टी ने खुद यह कहा था कि मुझे वोट किरण चौधरी ने दिया हालांकि राज्यसभा चुनाव की प्रक्रिया बड़ी गोपनीय होती है किसने किसको वोट किया यह तो जिस विधायक ने वोट किया या तो वो बता सकते है या…
— Kartik Sharma (@Kartiksharmamp) June 16, 2025
Kiran Choudhry’s counterattack
Kiran Choudhry, a political heavyweight and legatee of former chief minister Bansi Lal who switched to the BJP in June 2024, launched a blistering counterattack.
Speaking to media in Bhiwani Wednesday, she denied the allegations and accused the Hooda faction of orchestrating conspiracies to marginalise her and other “non-loyalists” in the Congress.
“I want to clarify that Kartikeya Sharma has already explained his statement. Still, let me say that in 2004, when I was the joint candidate of the Congress and the Haryana Vikas Party for the Rajya Sabha election, my vote was invalidated because of a supposed ‘dot’ on the ballot. I filed a petition in the Supreme Court, which is still pending. In 2016, votes were lost in the ink scandal—we still don’t know whose votes those were. These secret ballots are manipulated by conspirators like the father-son duo (obvious reference to former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and his son Deepender Hooda), who have worked to destroy the Congress. They tweet ‘Satyameva Jayate’ while plotting against their own party,” Choudhry said, her voice laced with indignation.
Choudhry’s reference to the 2004 election, where she lost due to an invalid vote, and the 2016 “ink scandal”, where multiple votes were nullified, underscores her narrative of being repeatedly targeted by rivals within.
In the 2016 Rajya Sabha election, INLD candidate R.K. Anand, who also had the support of the Congress, lost to BJP-supported Independent Subhash Chandra despite ostensibly having more votes. The defeat was attributed to the “ink scandal” where multiple votes were nullified for using a different ink to cast the vote than the one provided by the Election Commission.
“I was never in their (Hoodas’) good books because I speak my mind. If they hadn’t conspired against me, I wouldn’t be in the BJP today,” she added, framing her defection as a consequence of Congress’s internal machinations.
The public spat is a stark reminder of the Haryana Congress’ longstanding factionalism, primarily between the Hooda-led camp and other groups, including the one formerly led by Choudhry.
Also Read: Maken & Choudhry’s battle over ‘invalid RS vote’ has Haryana Congress on edge, Hooda wades in
‘Infighting a chronic ailment’
Political analyst Jyoti Mishra, a researcher at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS), attributes the Congress’ persistent struggles in Haryana to its inability to bridge these divides.
“The infighting in the Haryana Congress has been a chronic ailment for over two decades, rooted in competing power centres and personal ambitions. The Hooda faction’s dominance has often alienated other leaders like Kiran Choudhry, Kumari Selja, and Randeep Surjewala, creating a cycle of distrust and defection,” she said.
“The 2022 Rajya Sabha election was a flashpoint, where factional rivalries trumped party unity, costing the Congress a winnable seat. This latest controversy, sparked by Sharma’s interview, shows that the party has failed to address these faultlines. Without a cohesive strategy to reconcile these factions or empower new leadership, the Congress risks further erosion in Haryana, especially with the BJP capitalising on the disarray,” Mishra told The Print.
The controversy comes at a precarious time for the Congress as the party high command tries to bolster its organisational set up amid mounting pressure to address factionalism that continues to undermine its prospects in the state.
Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)
Also Read: Why senior Haryana Congress leaders are abandoning ship ahead of municipal elections
