In Rohtak segment, aspirants begin lobbying for BJP ticket

Ravinder Saini
Tribune News Service
Rohtak, August 4
Though the BJP state leadership has not yet initiated the process officially to receive applications from ticket aspirants for the upcoming Sssembly elections, local leaders are carrying out hectic lobbying to strengthen their case.
They are not only making rounds of senior leaders, including the party’s state election incharge Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, co-incharge Biplab Kumar Deb Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, party affairs’ incharge in the state Satish Poonia and general secretary Phanindra Nath Sharma, but also staking claim for the ticket by submitting their applications to them.
Sources said three local leaders submitted their applications to a senior BJP leader during a meeting held in the party state headquarters when office-bearers of the district and state units were present there. Interestingly, the aspirants are carrying multiple copies of applications with bio-data so as to hand them over to senior leaders at an opportune time.
“The hectic lobby for the party ticket is picking up pace as the Assembly polls are getting closer. Since the party has been contemplating over fielding new faces in the elections, especially in the stronghold of former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda in Rohtak and Jhajjar district, hence newcomers are considering it a good opportunity for them to try their luck in the electoral politics,” said a local BJP leader.
He maintained former minister and the BJP face in Rohtak in the past five Assembly elections Manish Grover’s recently announcement not to contest the Assembly polls also spiced up the battle of ticket among local saffron leaders, who were earlier not so much active to get the party ticket due to Grover who enjoyed good rapport with top guns of the BJP, he added.
Meanwhile, Ranvir Dhaka, Rohtak district president of the BJP, told The Tribune that the party had not yet invited applications from prospective candidates for the ticket but some of them who wished to contest election were giving their resume to senior party leaders.
As far as Rohtak is concerned, the Congress had won three of the four seats in the district in the previous Assembly elections held in 2019. An independent candidate — Balraj Kundu — emerged victorious from Meham while the BJP failed to open its accounts.
In the recently held Lok Sabha polls, Congress’ Deepender Hooda took a lead over BJP’s Arvind Sharma in all four Assembly segments of Rohtak, hence the Congress is believed to be in a good position in the district ahead of the Assembly poll. Former CM Bhupinder Hooda’s strong influence on electors and anti-incumbency are two major challenges for the BJP in Rohtak.

Grover’s exit spices up poll battle

• The BJP face in Rohtak in the past five Assembly elections, Manish Grover, recently announced that he wouldn’t contest the upcoming Assembly elections, spicing up the battle for ticket
• Local BJP leaders that were earlier not so much active due to Grover, who enjoyed a good rapport with top BJP leaders, have suddenly started lobbying ahead of ticket allocation