Hooda confident of forming government in Haryana again

Chandigarh, Oct 22 : Despite the Congress not crossing the halfway mark and a massive surge by the opposition Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda Thursday exuded confidence that the Congress will form the new government in Haryana.

Election results show that Haryana is facing a hung assembly. The Congress has won 40 seats in the 90-member Haryana assembly and is six seats short of crossing the halfway mark. The INLD has put up a surprisingly good show winning 31 seats.

Hooda said there was "no question of getting nervous with the election results. We will confidently form the government."

On the prospect of joining hands with some independent winners, Hooda said: "Anybody having faith in the leadership of (Congress president) Sonia Gandhi is welcome to join us."

Meanwhile, INLD chief Om Prakash Chautala said the governor should invite the opposition parties first and give them an opportunity to form the government.

"We appeal to the governor to invite the opposition parties first, which have emerged as the largest group. Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda should immediately step down on moral grounds and the Congress should not stake its claim to form the government," former chief minister Chautala told reporters.

--IANS