Who is Rao Narender Singh, Being Tipped as the Next State President of Congress in Haryana?

Rao Narender Singh eyed for Haryana Congress chief, Hooda set for Leader of Opposition as CWC meet looms

New Delhi, September 23, 2025: Congress in Haryana may soon appoint Rao Narender Singh, a senior leader from South Haryana and former state health minister, as its new state president, while Bhupinder Singh Hooda is all but confirmed as the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the assembly. Both leaders, despite not being members of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), have been invited to the party’s crucial CWC meeting in Bihar tomorrow, signaling high command’s endorsement.

Rao Narender Singh, 61, hails from Narnaul in Mahendragarh district and has a long political career spanning over two decades. A graduate in law, he started as a two-time MLA from Ateli on a Congress ticket before switching to the Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC) in 2009, winning from Narnaul on an HJC ticket after losing a Lok Sabha poll from Bhiwani-Mahendragarh. He rejoined Congress ahead of the 2014 assembly elections and served as Health, Medical Education, and Elections Minister in the Congress government led by then-Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda until 2014. Known for his work in upgrading healthcare infrastructure, including hospitals in his constituency, Singh contested the 2024 Haryana assembly elections from Narnaul as a Congress candidate but lost to the BJP’s Jahanzaib Hussain by a margin of over 16,000 votes. His assets are declared at around Rs 18 crore, primarily from business and agriculture.

The sudden summons to Delhi and the CWC invite for Singh, who has maintained a neutral stance amid party factionalism, underscores the high command’s strategy to consolidate the Other Backward Classes (OBC) vote bank ahead of future polls, including Bihar. Party in-charge BK Hariprasad is reportedly pushing Hooda’s name for the LoP role, with sources indicating a final nod on both appointments at the CWC meet. Other Haryana attendees include Sirsa MP Kumari Selja and Rajya Sabha MP Randeep Surjewala.

#### Why Rao Narender Singh for State President?

Haryana Congress has been without a state president and LoP since its defeat in the October 2024 assembly elections, where it won 37 of 90 seats against BJP’s 48. Incumbent president Uday Bhan, a Scheduled Caste leader who lost his own seat, has faced calls for resignation amid the debacle. Rao’s elevation would mark the second OBC face after former Chief Minister Chaudhary Bhajan Lal to helm the state unit—Bhajan Lal led Congress to a full-majority win in the 1980s before splitting to form his own party due to differences with Hooda.

Key reasons for his candidacy include:

– **OBC Focus and South Haryana Push:** As an Ahir (Yadav) leader, Rao represents the OBC community, which the party aims to woo, mirroring its Bihar strategy. South Haryana’s Ahirwal belt (Rewari, Mahendragarh, Gurugram) has 11 assembly seats, where BJP dominated with 10 wins in 2024 (Congress got just one). Historically, BJP’s sweeps here have correlated with state governments.

– **Neutrality in Factional Wars:** Unlike the Hooda-Selja divide, Rao has avoided aligning with any camp, reducing risks of internal backlash and signaling merit over factionalism.

– **Regional Balance:** Appointing from South Haryana aims to counter Jat-dominated North’s influence under Hooda, strengthening Congress’s hold in a region where it has struggled.

#### Hooda as LoP: MLA Backing Seals It

Hooda’s path to LoP appears clear, with 31 of 37 MLAs backing him during an October 18, 2024, Chandigarh meeting observed by Rajasthan’s former CM Ashok Gehlot, AICC’s Ajay Maken, and others. The 90-minute huddle saw one-on-one consultations, reflecting broad consensus despite anti-Hooda murmurs from Selja loyalists. A parallel development sees Hooda opponents, including former Union Minister Birender Singh, uniting in Karnal to push for change, with Birender humorously citing age (he’s just 1.5 years older than Hooda) and urging Selja to lead.

The CWC decisions come as Congress grapples with post-poll disarray, including EVM tampering allegations on 20 seats. With Haryana elections 10 months behind, these appointments are seen as a reset to rebuild unity and target OBC-Dalit-Jat alliances for 2029.