"I want to fight this battle not for myself but for you... I want Haryana to be number one once again," Congress veteran Bhupinder Singh Hooda declared from the dais while addressing a poll rally in his home constituency Garhi Sampla-Kiloi here a few days ago.
The former Haryana chief minister, who turned 77 on Sunday, has remained a four-time MP from Rohtak and defeated former deputy prime minister Devi Lal from the parliamentary seat in the 1990s.
Although the Congress has made it clear that its MLAs and the high command will pick the chief minister if the party wins the elections, Jat stalwart Hooda is virtually the face of the Congress for the upcoming Assembly polls.
The Congress is contesting 89 seats -- except Bhiwani which it has left for the CPI(M) -- and the majority of these have gone to Hooda loyalists or those considered close to him. Besides, the party has re-fielded all 28 sitting MLAs, most of whom owe allegiance to Hooda.
In the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls, barring the Sirsa seat contested and won by his bete noire Kumari Selja, Hooda's choice prevailed in the remaining eight of the nine constituencies from where the Congress contested.
It won five seats, including Sirsa, while its INDIA bloc ally AAP unsuccessfully fought the Kurukshetra seat.
In the Assembly polls, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is fighting solo after talks with the Congress to stitch an alliance did not materialise. It is believed that
Hooda was opposed to any tie-up with the Arvind Kejriwal-led party for the Assembly polls.
Notwithstanding opposition from some of his detractors within the party, Hooda has managed to maintain a tight grip on the affairs of the Haryana Congress.
The Garhi Sampla-Kiloi assembly segment, a Jat-dominated rural constituency in Rohtak from where the former chief minister is seeking a re-election, came into being in 2007, following the delimitation of constituencies. It is considered as a "gadh" (bastion) of the Hooda family. Before the delimitation, this seat was known as Kiloi.
In 2005, the Congress high command handpicked Hooda, who was then a Rohtak MP, to be the chief minister of the state after the party returned to power winning 67 seats.
Hooda had edged out party veteran Bhajan Lal from the chief ministerial race and remained in office till 2014.
After filing his nomination papers last week, Hooda told the people of his constituency, "You gave me a chance. Whatever I am today, it is due to you and your blessings".
He said even at this age, he wanted to fight an "aar paar ki ladai (do-or-die battle)", not for himself, but for the people of the state and sought their support to oust the BJP from power.
"I want our state to be number one once again in all spheres," he asserted.
Hooda reiterated that in the next month's elections, people will "reject the vote katu (vote cutter) parties" and there will be a direct fight between the BJP and the Congress, which has been out of power for more than a decade.
Asked how confident he is about Congress' victory, Hooda said, "We will win with a big majority. Chattis biradari (people of all sections) have made up their minds to bring Congress back to power. The BJP is on its way out and the Congress is coming back to power." Hooda said when he got the opportunity to
run the government, Haryana was way ahead in various developmental parameters -- per capita income, investments, law and order, employment generation, welfare of farmers and poor, among others.
"But today, the state has fallen behind. Unemployment is at its peak, crime is increasing and people are feeling insecure," he said.
Hooda said the people are fed up with the 10-year rule of the BJP.
Slamming the BJP's claims of ensuring a transparent administration, equitable development and jobs on merit, the Congress leader said, "Everyone knows their claims on development are hollow and this government has been hit by various scams".
"But they are experts in event management and they always try to cover up their failures," he said.
Hooda has assured doubling of pension for the elderly, filling up of two lakh "vacant" posts, 300 units of free electricity and gas cylinders at Rs 500 each, and restoration of the old pension scheme for government employees if the Congress comes to power.
The BJP has fielded 35-year-old Manju Hooda, Rohtak Zila Parishad chairperson, against the senior Congress leader in Garhi Sampla-Kiloi.
Asked if she considers the contest a challenge, Manju Hooda said, "I have been among the people and getting their work done (as Zila Parishad chairperson). I have ensured development. So, I don't look at it as a challenge.
"I trust the hard work which I have been putting in and I am confident that the people will give their blessings to me," she said.
Before the withdrawal of nominations, 11 candidates from the INLD, the JJP, the AAP and some Independents were in the fray from the constituency.
Among the Independents is 26-year-old Amit Hooda, a commerce graduate, who is currently pursuing his post-graduation.
"I come from a non-political background and this is my first election. I have always been motivated by my grandfather who did a lot of social service. I also
wanted to do something for my people, so that is the inspiration behind my fighting election," he said.
Meanwhile, Rajender, a Congress supporter claimed that Hooda will win by a huge margin as Garhi Sampla-Kiloi is his pocket borough. A BJP supporter, however, claimed that Manju Hooda would emerge victorious as she has the support of the people, especially the youth, due to her work and the development carried out by the BJP government in the state.
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