Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi today impressed upon Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda the need to maintain unity within the party with major elections coming up, sources said.
Hooda met Gandhi here following a mammoth rally held by him yesterday at Gohana which, however, had seen his detractors staying away.
At an hour-long meeting to review the functioning of Haryana Congress, Gandhi, while lauding the success of Hooda's rally, asked him to carry along all state Congress leaders with himself in the run up to Lok Sabha and Assembly polls next year.
The term of the present Haryana Assembly ends on October 27, 2014.
Hooda, accompanied by Haryana state Congress chief Phool Chand Mullana, told Gandhi about the success of yesterday's rally and the sops announced by him for the various sections of the population, party sources said.
AICC general secretary in-charge of Haryana affairs, Shakeel Ahmed, too, was present for the meeting.
Hooda told Gandhi that the state Congress was geared up for the elections and assured him of yet another victory for the party.
Although Hooda has emerged as the strongest leader in Haryana, the state Congress leadership has been dogged by internal dissension with Union Minister Kumari Selja and senior Congress leader Birender Singh emerging as detractors.
Also, unhappy with the functioning of the state Congress, Gurgaon MP Rao Inderjit Singh is also on the verge of quitting the party.
Congress has been in power for the last nine years in the state but faces an uphill task in the upcoming general and Assembly elections due to differences within the party.
Congress won nine out of the 10 Lok Sabha seats in the last elections and it will be difficult for it to stage a repeat of its performance in the next general elections as BJP and INLD are coming together to challenge it.
