BJP fields defected INLD leader against Hooda

Chandigarh:To challenge two-time Congress Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda in his stronghold in Haryana, the ruling BJP on Monday fielded Indian National Lok Dal’s (INLD) defected leader Satish Nandal against him for the coming Assembly elections. Nandal had jumped ship to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on June 29.
The 90-member Haryana Assembly will go to the polls on October 21 and the results will be declared on October 24.
Nandal had twice contested the Assembly elections against Hooda from the Garhi Sampla-Kiloi constituency in Rohtak district on INLD ticket in 2009 and 2014. He finished Hooda’s nearest rival on both occasions.
This time, Hooda is most likely to re-contest from his home turf.
The BJP’s vote share in the Garhi Sampla-Kiloi segment in the last Lok Sabha polls rose substantially compared to the previous elections.
Hooda’s son Deepender Singh Hooda, who was the three-time MP from Rohtak, faced a humiliating defeat in the last Lok Sabha polls.