BJP has fielded three new faces from Rohtak’s key constituencies — former Indian kabaddi team captain Deepak Hooda from Meham, zila parishad chairperson Manju Hooda from Garhi Sampla Kiloi, and former Rohtak mayor Renu Dabla from Kalanaur, a decision that has not gone down well among many party leaders.
In Meham, Shamsher Kharkhara, who had contested as a BJP candidate earlier, is reportedly upset after the party denied his wife Radha Ahlawat a ticket.
Deepak Hooda, originally from Chamaria village in Garhi Sampla Kiloi, faces a tough contest in Meham, where Kharkhara and Mahant Satish Dass have significant influence.
Deepak Hooda is married to world champion boxer Sweety Boora.
The three constituencies have been strongholds of seasoned politicians: former chief minister and five-time MLA Bhupinder Singh Hooda from Garhi Sampla Kiloi, four-time MLA Anand Singh Dangi from Meham, and three-time Congress MLA Shakuntala Khatak from Kalanaur.
Manju Hooda, who recently joined BJP and was appointed vice-president of the BJP Yuva Morcha, is up against Congress heavyweight and former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. Interestingly, senior Congress leader and former minister Krishan Murti Hooda, who also joined BJP, was initially seen as the frontrunner for the ticket. The decision to field Manju Hooda instead has sparked discontent among his supporters in the constituency.
Renu Dabla switched to BJP after Congress denied her a ticket in 2019. She now holds a key position in the BJP and had been a strong contender for the Kalanaur seat for some time.