In Rohtak, it is Modi’s magic vs Hooda’s charisma

Ravinder Saini

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Rohtak, May 24

Many national and regional issues were raised by BJP and Congress candidates in Rohtak, but at the end of campaigning, the elections have turned into a battleground between “Modi’s magic” and “Hooda’s charisma”.

The BJP leaders sought votes in the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi while their counterparts in the Congress party highlighted the development undertaken during its regime led by Bhupinder Hooda.

“It’s a contest to elect the Central government, and Modi is our party’s face. However, the Congress has made it a state poll by raising issues pertaining to the Hooda regime even after a decade,” said Shamsher Kharak, a BJP leader.

The stakes are high for both parties in Rohtak as the outcome is likely to impact the Assembly poll in the state.

The BJP left no stone unturned to retain the seat and roped in star campaigners, including the CMs of Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan, and Union ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari and Rao Inderjit. BJP national president JP Nadda took out a roadshow here to seek votes for Arvind Sharma, locked in a battle with Congress nominee MP Deepender Hooda.

No star campaigner of the Congress had canvassed in Rohtak. Three generations of the Hooda family have romped home in the Lok Sabha poll for nine out of 11 times from here.

“The Congress seems to have advantage of anti-incumbency, adverse effect of farmers and wrestlers’ agitations, criticism of Agniveer Scheme, unemployment, etc, especially in rural areas. The BJP is dependent upon Modi’s magic and national issues such as the abrogation of Article 370, construction of the Ram Temple, the Uniform Civil Code and women reservation,” said a political analyst.