Rohtak no more a Jat bastion

Ravinder Saini

Tribune News Service

Rohtak, May 23

Arvind Sharma of the BJP has defeated three-time MP and Congress nominee Deepender Hooda by a narrow margin of over 3,000 votes. It is for the first time that a non-Jat candidate has secured victory in Jat-dominated Rohtak.

Arvind has been elected MP for the fourth time. He had earlier served as MP thrice — twice from Karnal and once from Sonepat. The BJP nominee took a lead in four out of the nine Assembly segments.

Arvind took the biggest lead of 74,980 votes in Ahir-dominated Kosli, followed by 19,741 votes in Rohtak. He led in Bahadurgarh and Kalanaur Assembly segments by a margin of 6,115 and 5,311, respectively. Sitting BJP MLAs are from Rohtak, Bahadurgarh and Kosli.

Arvind trailed by 11,431 votes in the Badli Assembly segment, represented by Agriculture Minister Om Prakash Dhankar. Deepender also took a lead of 45,775 votes in Garhi Sampla-Kiloi, 25,993 in Beri, 14,105 in Meham and 4,416 in Jhajjar.

Except Deepender, no candidate managed to save security deposit. BSP-LSP candidate Kishan Lal Panchal was third with 38,132 votes. JJP-AAP nominee Pradeep Deswal and INLD nominee Dharambir Fouzi got 21,047 and 7,117 votes, respectively.