Rohtak regains political focus as two RS candidates hail from district

Rohtak, often described as the political capital of Haryana, has once again returned to the political spotlight with two of the three candidates contesting the Rajya Sabha elections for two seats belonging to the district. The outgoing BJP Rajya Sabha MP Ram Chander Jangra is also from Rohtak, further underlining the district’s prominence in the ongoing political contest.

The Congress has nominated Karamvir Singh Boudh, who originally hails from Bhaini Maharajpur village in the district, for one of the seats. The contest has become more interesting with Satish Nandal, BJP state vice-president and a construction businessman, entering the fray as an Independent candidate.

Political observers say the presence of two candidates from Rohtak has once again drawn attention to the district’s influence in state politics.

“Both Boudh and Nandal have emerged as wild cards in the Rajya Sabha elections. More importantly, the BJP has been making concerted efforts to strengthen its base in Rohtak to counter the political influence of former Chief Minister Bhupinder Hooda. However, the party has not been able to win even a single Assembly seat in Rohtak district in the past two Assembly polls. As a result, Rohtak invariably remains in the spotlight — be it elections, political rallies or visits by prominent leaders/personalities,” said a political observer.

Nandal’s entry into the Rajya Sabha race has also revived his long-standing electoral rivalry with Hooda, who as the leader of the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) in the Vidhan Sabha is responsible for ensuring the victory of the party’s nominee. However, the Congress enjoys comfortable numbers in the Assembly to secure the seat.

Nandal has contested three Assembly elections against Hooda from the Garhi Sampla-Kiloi constituency but has not been able to defeat him so far. He contested the 2009 and 2014 Assembly elections as an INLD candidate, while the BJP fielded him from the same seat in the 2019 Assembly polls.

Nandal belongs to Bohar village, while Hooda hails from Sanghi village, both located in the Garhi Sampla-Kiloi constituency.

Known to be close to former minister and senior BJP leader Manish Grover, considered an ally of Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, Nandal had also played a role in mediating with the family of ASI Sandeep Lather, who died by suicide in Ladhaut village of Rohtak in October last year, helping resolve the deadlock over the post-mortem examination.

Nandal’s son Sanchit Nandal had also contested the Rohtak Mayor election in 2018 as an INLD candidate but lost. However, his candidature reportedly helped BJP candidate Manmohan Goyal win the election by splitting votes, as claimed by Grover. Nandal later joined the BJP and has since remained active in party politics in the Rohtak region.

Meanwhile, Congress nominee Karamvir Singh Boudh completed his early education in Meham before moving to Ambala after securing a government job. His candidature has also attracted attention as he belongs to Hooda’s home district.

“Karamvir often visits the village to attend family functions. The villagers are pleased with his nomination as the Congress candidate,” said a resident of Bhaini Maharajpur village.