Contest between arch-rivals Batra and Grover in Rohtak
Rohtak, dominated by the Punjab community, is all set to witness a poll battle between two arch-rivals — the Congress’ Bharat Bhushan Batra and the BJP’s Manish Kumar Grover yet again.
Ex-minister files papers
Former Haryana minister and BJP candidate Manish Grover filed his nomination papers from the Rohtak Assembly constituency on Thursday. Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, who was slated to accompany Grover for the filing of his nomination papers, could not reach Rohtak.
They will take on each other for the fourth time in a row in this Assembly election.
While Batra, sitting MLA and chief whip of the state Congress, emerged victorious twice, Grover has won once and had become Cooperative Minister in the then Khattar government from 2014 to 2019.
Though the JJP and INLD have fielded Jitendra Balhara and Dilawar Nehra, respectively, and AAP has given ticket to Bijendra Singh Hooda, they are unlikely to succeed in making it a multi-cornered contest. Hence, the main battle will be between the Congress and BJP this time too.
Batra, an aide of former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda, has been a lawyer in Rohtak before jumping into electoral battle in 2009 for the first time. He was the Chairman of HPSC at that time. Batra defeated Grover by a margin of 19,595 votes in that election.
He worked to ensure overall development of Rohtak under the leadership of Hooda during his first tenure from 2009 to 2014. Batra was also bestowed the ‘Best Legislator Award of Haryana’ at that time.
Grover, a loyalist of former CM Manohar Lal Khattar, has been the BJP’s face for the past five elections in Rohtak but he managed to win once in 2014 when the BJP formed the government in the state.
