Former minister Grover not to contest Assembly election

Sunit Dhawan

Rohtak, July 27

In a major political development, former Haryana minister and senior BJP leader Manish Grover has announced that he would not contest the upcoming election for the state Assembly.

“I will rather counter and expose the ‘Haryana Maange Hisab’ poll campaign launched by former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and his son and Rohtak MP Deepender Singh Hooda across the state, if my party allows me to do so,” Grover said while addressing a news conference at Rohtak on Saturday.

The move assumes significance as Grover is a prominent leader of the ruling party in Rohtak, which is the hometown of Congress stalwart and Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

Grover is also a confidant of former Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and has been an influential figure of Rohtak under the BJP rule during the past decade.

Questioned about the reason behind the move, the BJP leader maintained that it was his personal decision as he did not want to confine himself to Rohtak alone.

“I have been associated with the Jan Sangh and BJP ideology since 1971. I started my political journey as a booth-level worker and rose to become an MLA and minister while serving the party. My party has done a lot for me and now I want to pay back. I feel that I will be able to play a more effective role by countering the Hoodas’ campaign across the state,” he stated.

Face-saving or pressure tactic?

BJP sources maintain that the move is a pressure tactic by Grover, who was being sidelined in the party. However, other insiders asserted that Grover’s announcement was just a face-saving exercise as the ruling party wants to ensure its victory in Haryana and Grover was considered low on winnability