BJP bets on new faces in ex-CM Hooda’s bastion Rohtak, Jhajjar

To counter anti-incumbency, the BJP has fielded new faces on six of the seven Assembly seats in Rohtak and Jhajjar districts, considered a bastion of former Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda. Interestingly, two of the candidates are the chiefs of the Rohtak and Jhajjar zila parishads.

Late last evening, the BJP announced its nominees for all four Assembly constituencies of Jhajjar district and three of the four constituencies in Rohtak district. Suspense continues over the Rohtak seat as the party has kept the decision on hold.

Senior BJP leader Manish Grover, a close aide of former Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, is a strong contender for the ticket from Rohtak. However, he had announced last month that he would not contest the elections, though he still had been active in the constituency.

The BJP has fielded former Indian kabaddi team skipper Deepak Niwas Hooda from Meham. It will be Deepak’s debut election but he has been actively contacting people in the constituency for several months. Hooda is married to international boxer Saweety Boora.

Senior BJP leader Shamsher Kharkara has suffered a setback following Hooda’s nomination, as he wanted the party ticket for his wife Radha Ahlawat for Meham. Shamsher has tried his luck from Meham twice as the BJP nominee.

Renu Dabla, former chairperson of the Rohtak Municipal Corporation, will contest the Assembly elections from Kalanaur (reserved), which has witnessed hectic lobbying for the party ticket. The BJP has fielded Manju Hooda, chairperson of the Rohtak Zila Parishad, from the Garhi Sampla-Kiloi seat, which Bhupinder Singh Hooda represents, thus ensuring a Hooda versus Hooda contest.

In Jhajjar district, former Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) leader Sanjay Kablana, who joined the BJP three days ago, has been fielded from the Beri constituency. He had contested two earlier elections from Badli and secured a sizeable chunk of votes.

Similarly, the BJP has fielded Jhajjar Zila Parishad Chairman Kaptan Singh Birdhana from the Jhajjar (reserved) seat, which Congress MLA Geeta Bhukkal is representing for three terms. Kaptan had unsuccessfully contested the 2014 Assembly poll from the seat and secured only 5,048 votes.

Dinesh Kaushik, brother of former BJP MLA Naresh Kaushik, is the BJP nominee from Bahadurgarh. Interestingly, Naresh, too, was vying for the party ticket for the seat. He had won the Bahadurgarh seat in the 2014 elections but lost in 2019.

Dinesh, Kaptan and Sanjay will contest the elections on a BJP ticket for the first time — Dinesh, in fact, is making his poll debut. BJP national secretary Om Prakash Dhankar is in the fray in Badli for the third time in a row. He had lost the 2019 elections for the seat, having won in 2104, when he was made the Agriculture Minister. Due to Dhankar, the BJP shifted Sanjay Kablana to Beri.