CHANDIGARH: Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and his son Deepender, who are contesting from Sonipat and Rohtak Lok Sabha seats, have invoked Jat pride to win over voters.
Through the ‘Rohtak-Sonepat Ki Chaudhar’ message, the senior Hooda is telling the people that after the general elections, Sonipat will pave the way for Haryana’s CM chair. Bhupinder cites the example that prior to him becoming the chief minister in 2005, he had won the Lok Sabha elections from Rohtak a year before.
In Sonipat, BJP’s sitting MP Ramesh Kaushik is harping on a “strong government” in Delhi. The BJP MP is hoping that the split in Jat votes will help his case.
In Rohtak, Deepender won the seat despite the massive Modi wave in 2014. The three-time MP won the seat entirely on his credit. Political observers feel the biggest factor will be the Jat agitation on reservation and the violence that followed it.