Bhupinder Hooda (L); Manju Hooda.
Credit: PTI, X/@ANI Photos
Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Tuesday retained his Garhi Sampla-Kiloi seat in Rohtak district, defeating his nearest BJP rival.
The 77-year-old won by a convincing margin of 71,465 votes, defeating BJP's Manju Hooda.
While Bhupinder Hooda is a former chief minister of the state, Manju, wife of 'gangster' Rajesh Hooda, is a newcomer to assembly polls. She was earlier a councillor.
An Indian Express report reveals Manju is the daughter of a former police official while in contrast, her husband is facing multiple criminal cases.
“Rajesh is a victim of the system. In most cases, he has already been acquitted and is now clean. He has not committed a crime in many years. His past is gone and whatever criminal cases he faced were registered as part of a conspiracy against him,” Manju had told the publication ahead of the October 5 polls.
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Bhupinder Hooda was the chief minister of the state for almost 10 years, and was even this time one of the strong contenders for the chief minister's post, had the Congress won. He had even gone to Delhi to meet senior leaders of the party on Monday, a day after exit polls predicted a landslide victory for Congress.
However, Congress, which was eyeing to make a comeback in Haryana after a 10-year gap, was trailing with BJP ahead in 49 of the 90 seats.
Congress is currently ahead in 36 seats, according to latest trends.
With PTI inputs
Haryana Assembly poll 2024 results| Check constituency results here
J&K Assembly poll 2024 results| Check constituency results here
Assembly Elections 2024 | In the first assembly polls since the Lok Sabha elections, Narendra Modi and the BJP face a rejuvenated and vindicated Opposition in the Haryana assembly polls. Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir is voting after almost a decade and it remains to be seen how the abrogation of Article 370 has impacted the political landscape of the Valley. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.
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