BJP opts for new faces in Hooda’s bastion Rohtak, Jhajjar
To counter anti-incumbency, the BJP has fielded new faces on six out of seven assembly seats of Rohtak and Jhajjar districts, considered a bastion of former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.
The saffron party on Wednesday night announced its nominees for all four assembly constituencies of Jhajjar district and three out of four constituencies in Rohtak district. Suspense continues over the Rohtak seat as the party has kept it on hold.
Senior BJP leader and former minister Manish Grover, a close aide of former CM Manohar Lal Khattar, is the strong contender for the party ticket from Rohtak. However, he had announced not to contest the poll last month but is still quite active in the constituency.
The BJP has fielded former Indian kabaddi team skipper Deepak Niwas Hooda from Meham. It will be his debut election and he has been carrying out a public contact programme in the constituency for months. He belongs to Chamaria village falling under Garhi Sampla-Kiloi assembly constituency.
BJP senior leader in Meham Shamsher Kharkara has suffered a setback following Hooda’s nomination as the BJP candidate as he wanted his wife Radha Ahlawat to contest the election on the BJP ticket. Shamsher had tried his luck from Meham twice as a BJP nominee. He has called a meeting of his supporters today to decide the next course of action.
Renu Dabla, former chairperson of Rohtak Municipal Corporation, will contest assembly polls from Kalanaur (reserve) assembly constituency. She joined the BJP after quitting the Congress years ago. Hectic lobbying was under way to get the party ticket from Kalanaur. Retired HCS officer Amarjeet Singh, who was considered close to Khattar, and youth leader Dr Ashok Ranga were among the contenders for the ticket.
The BJP has made Manju Hooda, chairperson of Rohtak Zila Parishad, as its nominee from Garhi Sampla-Kiloi assembly segment being represented by Bhupinder Hooda. Now, it will be Hooda vs Hooda in the polls here. Bhupinder Hooda has applied for the Congress ticket from Garhi Sampla-Kiloi.
In Jhajjar district, former JJP leader Sanjay Kablana, who joined the BJP three days ago, managed to get the ticket from Beri assembly constituency. He contested two earlier elections from Badli and secured considerable votes. The BJP had fielded Vikram Kadian from Beri in the previous assembly elections held in 2019 but he faced a debacle.
Similarly, the BJP has fielded Jhajjar Zila Parishad Chairman Kaptan Singh Birdhana from Jhajjar (Reserve) seat being represented by Congress MLA Geeta Bhukkal for the past four times.
Dinesh Kaushik has been made the BJP nominee from Bahadurgarh. He is the brother of former BJP MLA from Bahadurgarh Naresh Kaushik. Interestingly, Naresh was also vying for the party ticket from there. He won the election from Bahadurgarh in 2014 but lost in 2019.
All the three - Dinesh Kaushik, Kaptan Birdhana and Sanjay Kablana - would contest the election on a BJP ticket for the first time while it will be the debut poll battle for Kaushik.
BJP national secretary and former minister Om Prakash Dhankar would contest his third assembly polls from Badli in a row. He was defeated by the Congress’s Kuldeep Vats in previous assembly polls in 2019. Dhankar won the election in 2014 and became agriculture minister in the first cabinet of Manohar Lal Khattar. Due to Dhankar, the BJP shifted Sanjay Kablana to Beri.
