Congress candidate Deepender Singh Hooda cast his vote on Saturday at a polling station in his native village, Sanghi, in Rohtak. Hooda is contesting against BJP candidate and sitting MP Arvind Sharma for the Rohtak seat.
In a video post on X, Hooda stated,”Hello! I appeal to all the voters of Haryana to vote as much as possible along with your families! Your vote will strengthen the Constitution and democracy and will work to secure the future of the coming generations. Let’s do our duty to the country by voting! Thank you!”
Watch:
राम-राम जी!
मैं हरियाणा के सभी मतदाताओं से अपील करता हूँ कि आप सभी अपने परिवार सहित अधिक से अधिक मतदान करें! आपके द्वारा दिया गया वोट संविधान एवं लोकतंत्र को मजबूती प्रदान करेगा और आने वाली पीढ़ी के भविष्य को सुरक्षित करने का काम करेगा।
आइए मतदान करके देश के लिए अपना फर्ज जरूर… pic.twitter.com/HkeLUsN518
— Deepender S Hooda (@DeependerSHooda) May 25, 2024
Former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda also voted in Rohtak during the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha polls. Bhupinder Hooda stated, “There is a wave in favour of Congress.” Additionally, Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala cast his vote at a polling center in Kaithal, Haryana.
In the 2019 election, Arvind Sharma narrowly defeated Deepender Singh Hooda by just 7,503 votes, with Sharma securing 573,845 votes and Hooda receiving 566,342 votes. Deepender Singh Hooda, who previously held the Rohtak seat for three terms (2005 bypoll, 2009, and 2014), is striving to reclaim his stronghold.
The Hooda family has a long-standing legacy in Rohtak. Deepender’s grandfather, Ranbir Singh Hooda, won the first two Lok Sabha elections in 1952 and 1957, and his father, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, defeated Chaudhury Devi Lal of the Janata Party. This legacy continued, with the third generation holding the seat until 2019.
The sixth phase of Lok Sabha polls includes eight seats in Bihar, all 10 seats in Haryana, one seat in Jammu and Kashmir, four in Jharkhand, all seven seats in Delhi, six in Odisha, 14 in Uttar Pradesh, and eight in West Bengal. A total of 889 candidates are contesting in this phase.
In Haryana, the AAP and Congress have formed an alliance, while the BJP, which won all the seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, faces multi-cornered contests in several constituencies, including Hisar. Apart from the BJP and Congress, INLD and Jannayak Janata Party also have significant stakes in Haryana. The state will hold assembly elections a few months after the Lok Sabha elections.