Lotus blooms in Hooda’s home turf as BJP registers massive win over Cong in Rohtak
The Congress suffered a significant blow in Rohtak, the home turf of Congress veteran leader and former Chief Minister Bhupinder Hooda, as the BJP clinched a decisive victory in the mayoral elections on Wednesday. BJP candidate Ram Avtar Valmiki defeated Congress nominee Surajmal Kiloi by a massive margin of 45,198 votes.
The mayoral election, held on March 2, saw the seat reserved for the Scheduled Caste (SC) this time. This marked the second consecutive victory for the saffron party in this top position of the Rohtak Municipal Corporation, following Manmohan Goyal's election as Mayor in the previous cycle.
There were 13 rounds of vote counting, with the BJP leading over the Congress in each one. Although five candidates competed for the mayoral post, the main contest was always between the Congress and the BJP.
Valmiki, the national vice-president of the BJP’s SC Morcha, secured 1,02,269 votes, while Congress’s Surajmal Kiloi garnered 57,071 votes. Other candidates in the fray included INLD’s Suraj (3,458 votes), AAP’s Amit Khatak (3,175 votes), and Independent Deepak Singh (2,055 votes). Additionally, 1,956 electors opted for NOTA.
The BJP leaders and workers, confident in their impending victory, had already arranged celebrations in advance. "We bought colours to celebrate Holi and decorated a special vehicle for a victory procession in the city, as we were sure of the result," said a BJP leader.
Senior BJP leader and former Cooperation Minister Manish Kumar Grover said the welfare policies of the Centre as well as the state governments had won the hearts of the people.
“People have rejected the Congress's mayoral candidate and its leaders in Rohtak. Former CM Bhupinder Hooda and three other Congress MLAs have failed to secure victory for the Congress in the Mayoral polls while CM Nayab Singh Saini is working alongside the common people to move Haryana forward on the path of progress,” Grover added.
Former Labour and Employment Minister and BJP's state spokesperson Krishan Murti Hooda, emphasised that the BJP’s overwhelming victory demonstrated that the Congress had completely lost its grip on Rohtak. “Rohtak is no longer a stronghold of Bhupinder Hooda. The BJP’s lotus is blooming here now,” he added.
Later, newly elected Mayor Ram Avtar Valmiki, accompanied by BJP district president Ranveer Dhaka and former Mayor Manmohan Goyal, took out a victory procession in the city.
Speaking to the media, Valmiki expressed his gratitude to the people, stating that their trust in the BJP’s policies both at the Centre and states had brought about this victory. “This is the victory of the people, as well as the BJP leaders and workers. The triple-engine government has been working effectively, and now we will accelerate the pace of development even further,” Valmiki added.
He further added, “We have fulfilled all promises made in our previous manifesto and the promises in our Sankalp Patra (manifesto) will also be fulfilled. If the public asks for anything more, we will fulfill that as well. I was 100 per cent confident about this victory because the BJP has consistently worked for the people."
Valmiki also noted, "With Holi approaching, the joy of victory is even greater."
The Congress candidate Surajmal Kiloi accepted his defeat gracefully and thanked the people of Rohtak for their support. "People have given us votes in good number. We fully accept people's decision and hope that the newly elected mayor will fulfill all promises and address the public's grievances on priority," he stated.
