Hooda aide quits Congress, says 'tickets being sold'

ROHTAK: Congress in Haryana suffered a setback before the Oct 5 assembly polls as its former MLA Jai Tirath Dahiya resigned from the party Monday, accusing it of selling tickets for money. Dahiya, who served as an MLA in 2009 and 2014, was denied a ticket for the upcoming elections. The party instead selected Jai Bhagwan Antil as its candidate.

Expressing his disappointment over being overlooked, he said: "Despite being a strong contender, the party chose to humiliate me by denying me the ticket. I have since submitted my resignation to the party leadership. It's true that I became an MLA due to Bhupinder Singh Hooda's support."

He alleged that corruption played a role in the ticket distribution, warning that it could harm the party's prospects. An ally of former CM Hooda, Dahiya has practiced law in Sonipat for nearly three decades. In 2014, he defeated INLD's Inderjit by just three votes.