Defeat in Rohtak, Kosli stuns BJP

Ravinder Saini

Rohtak, June 6

The defeat of the BJP candidate, especially in Rohtak and Kosli Assembly segments of the Rohtak parliamentary constituency, has come as a bolt from the blue for local leaders of the saffron party.

They were expecting some decline in their candidate’s lead in both segments as compared to the previous Lok Sabha polls held in 2019 but never thought that they would be defeated in both segments, claimed sources in the BJP.

In 2019, BJP candidate Dr Arvind Sharma took a massive lead of 74,980 votes from Kosli and 19,711 votes from the Rohtak segment over Congress nominee Deepender Hooda. Sharma polled over 70 per cent and 56 per cent of the total votes in Kosli and Rohtak, respectively at that time. The considerable lead in both segments had paved the way for the BJP to wrest the Rohtak seat from the Congress in the previous election. But, in this election, Deepender has defeated Sharma in both Rohtak and Kosli Assembly segments by a margin of 4,998 and two votes, respectively.

“The Congress leaders contested the election in a planned manner this time. Hooda family became active in both segments several months before the Lok Sabha polls. In Rohtak, Deepender’s mother Asha Hooda and Rohtak MLA Bharat Bhushan Batra also contacted influential local leaders of various communities individually, besides holding poll meetings all around the city,” said a Congress leader. He said Deepender too carried out door-to-door canvassing in Rohtak city while his father and former CM Bhupinder Hooda’s charisma also worked to ensure the Congress’s victory in the Rohtak segment by rendering Modi’s magic ineffective.

“Everyone in the Congress, especially Hooda family, toiled hard to take the lead of 4,998 votes this time against the defeat by 19,741 votes in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Deepender this time got 51.36 per cent votes in the Rohtak segment while the figure was 39.94 in the previous polls,” said Batra, adding that Deepender won in 102 out of 170 polling booths in Rohtak city.

The sources said the Congress and Hooda family adopted similar strategies in Kosli. Some influential Ahir leaders who joined the Congress before the elections also proved instrumental in ensuring the victory of Deepender in Kosli. In 2019, Deepender polled merely 26 per cent votes in Kosli but this time, the figure shot up to 48 per cent.

Shamsher Singh Kharak, BJP’s state co-media incharge, while talking to ‘The Tribune’ conceded that the BJP’s debacle in Rohtak and Kosli segments left them shocked and surprised as all were confident about a major lead from both segments.

“Local issues in Rohtak and adverse effect of Agniveer Scheme in Kosli took a toll on the BJP’s poll results,” he added.

Bhupinder Hooda’s charisma worked

A Congress leader said Deepender Hooda carried out door-to-door canvassing in Rohtak city while his father and former CM Bhupinder Hooda’s charisma also worked to ensure the Congress’s victory in the Rohtak segment, rendering Modi’s magic ineffective.

Adverse effect of Agniveer Scheme

Local issues in Rohtak and adverse effect of Agniveer Scheme in Kosli took a toll on the BJP’s poll results. — Shamsher Singh Kharak, BJP’s state co-media incharge