Winning Rohtak poll prestige issue for Hooda

nit Dhawan

Tribune News Service

Rohtak, December 4

The election for the post of Mayor has become a prestige issue for BJP nominee and industrialist Manmohan Goyal as well as for the camp of veteran Congress leader and two-time Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

Goyal, scion of late minister Seth Shri Kishan Dass, has jumped into the mayoral poll fray on the BJP ticket and faces a litmus test to prove his political mettle.

On the other hand, the Hooda camp, which has borne the shock of getting defeated on the Rohtak Assembly seat in the last elections to the Vidhan Sabha, has its image at stake.

The Congress may not be contesting the mayoral or municipal elections on symbol, but local leaders owing allegiance to the party who aspire to win the mayoral seat have been making efforts to get Hooda’s backing.

The Hooda camp wants to retain its hold on the seat while the ruling BJP wants to wrest it to prove that electors are happy with its performance and endorse its policies and programmes.

Political observers feel that the outcome of these municipal elections, especially the mayoral poll, will have an impact on the upcoming elections to the Assembly.

The CPM has fielded women’s rights activist, academician and Bhim awardee Jagmati Sangwan, who is making an effort to reach out to the maximum number of electors in her intensive poll campaign.

Sanchit Nandal, son of INLD district unit president Satish Nandal, has been made the INLD-BSP nominee for the post of Mayor. The Aam Aadmi Party has decided not to field any candidate for the post of Mayor or councillor on the party ticket though the party will support independent candidates having a clean image and non-criminal background.