Rohtak: BJP banks on Modi, Congress on anti-incumbency

Tribune News Service

Ravinder Saini

Rohtak, May 6

Rohtak is set to witness a direct showdown between BJP candidate Dr Arvind Sharma, the outgoing MP, and Congress nominee and Rajya Sabha MP Deepender Hooda, as the filing of nomination for the Lok Sabha elections concluded today.

Sharma is seeking votes in the name of PM Narendra Modi and the steps he has taken in the past decade while Deepender is reminding major development projects executed during the then Hooda government in the state from 2005-2014 to garner public

support.

Interestingly, Deepender also doesn’t forget to caution the electors stating that the outcome of the Lok Sabha elections would decide the direction of the state politics ahead of Assembly polls that are due

in October.

“Candidates of both prominent parties are seeking votes on the same lines which they had drawn in the previous Lok Sabha poll held in 2019. Sharma while riding on the Modi wave managed to romp home victorious at that time but the situation seems to be different this time. He is locked in a tough electoral tussle with Deepender due to anti-incumbency and the absence of Modi wave while the Congress believes anti-incumbency factor will work in the elections to a large extent,” claims a political analyst.

He maintained caste equations would also play a crucial role. “A major chunk of Jats, a dominating caste in the constituency, seems to be against the BJP government due to its ‘lethargic’ attitude towards the farmers and other issues but the BJP is relying upon urban voters and focusing on them during canvassing,” he added.

As far as performance of both candidates in 2019 Lok Sabha elections is concerned, Deepender got a lead over Sharma in five of nine Assembly segments being dominated by rural areas while the BJP had performed well in the urban areas.

Sharma won previous elections by 7,503 votes and he took a lead of 74,980 votes over Deepender in Kosli, 19,741 in Rohtak, 4,311 in Kalanaur and 5,630 in Bahadurgarh Assembly segment. Similarly, Deepender’s lead over Sharma was 45,725 in Garhi Sampla-Kiloi, 25,993 in Beri, 14,105 in Meham, 11,554 in Badli and 4,649

in Jhajjar.

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