Litmus test for Haryana govt: Bhupinder Singh Hooda

Ravi S Singh

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 29

Soon after the Election Commission announced the schedule for the Assembly byelection, former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said the poll would be a litmus test of the popularity of Manohar Lal Khattar-led coalition government.

Former Haryana BJP chief Subhash Barala said the state government under the leadership of Khattar and the Centre led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi had been exemplars in governance and would be the first choice of voters. “The BJP’s popularity graph is increasing in Haryana as in the rest of the country,” Barala said.

“The Baroda byelection will be a referendum on the performance of the state government,” said Hooda, also Leader of Opposition in the Haryana Assembly.

Elaborating on his referendum theory, he said it would be a “vote of no-confidence” against the BJP and its six-year rule in the state.

“The government has failed to deliver on all fronts. It has been long on promises, but short on delivery. People are just waiting to vote against it with both hands,” he said.

He said unemployment, farmers’ distress and deteriorating law and order would be among the issues dominating the byelection.

Hooda, considered to be influential in rural areas encompassing Baroda and among the farming community, said the byelection would be a watershed moment and he would hit the campaign trail after the name of the party nominee was finalised.

Join Whatsapp Channel of The Tribune for latest updates.