Rohtak: On the campaign trail ahead of the assembly elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a rally in Rohtak which is the stronghold of Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. Rohtak is also the constituency that withstood the Modi wave during the Lok Sabha elections earlier this year in which the BJP swept 7 out of 10 seats in the state.
PM Modi will also address 3 other rallies in Haryana today. Mahendragarh, Sonipat and Jagadhri today. Meanwhile, Cong Vice President Rahul Gandhi will also address three public rallies in the state
From the days of former chief ministers Bansi Lal to Bhajan Lal and more successfully, the clan of Devi Lal, dynasties have run Haryana for decades. In the last 10 years, it has been Bhupender Singh Hooda who has ruled the state. In 2014, where Haryana was hit by the Modi wave, only Hooda's home turf Rohtak survived.
Many owe it to the lopsided development that Rohtak has witnessed. The HUDA City Park opened just 20 days before the elections is just one of the many examples. A 4-time MP from Rohtak since 1991 and twice Haryana's Chief Minister since 2005, Hooda has reportedly pumped 15,000 crores into Rohtak in the last decade.
After earlier CMs favored their home turfs, senior citizens believe it was Rohtak's turn. Congress wave in this election in Jhajhar, Sonepat and Rohtak. "There has been development on large scale in infrastructure, education, etc. Other parties have put irrelevant allegations against Hooda about land deals and Robert Vadra. Bhupinder is the best CM," the residents said claiming that allegations against Hooda have not yet been proved.
Locals also say that INLD's claim cannot be denied. "In some areas, INLD is strong. Hooda has brought all round development to the community," they say.
However, in rural Rohtak, the reasons for loyalty to Hooda are more personal. The sarpanch of Sanghi village says with pride that 500 government jobs were provided to the village by 'Bhai Hooda'. Haryana's most favored village also gets 24 hour electricity.
Even though he may be optimistic about Rohtak, retaining the rest of Haryana will be the real challenge for Hooda.
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