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    Haryana Elections: BJP faces a battle in Jat, Muslim belts

    Synopsis

    BJP sources said the party brass does not want the cadre to get complacent and all efforts are afoot to fight with all its might.

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    BJP’s assessment is that it is facing a challenge in the Rohtak-Sonipat region and may lose some seats to Congress.
    NEW DELHI: BJP is tipped to win the Assembly elections in Haryana but the ride to power is not without hurdles. The party is facing a tough battles in Jat-dominated central Haryana, Muslim-dominated southern part of the statea and areas adjoining Delhi. Some BJP leaders who have been denied a ticket are also creating roadblocks.

    BJP sources said the party brass does not want the cadre to get complacent and all efforts are afoot to fight with all its might. BJP chief Amit Shah and working president JP Nadda are holding rallies across the state. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to hold four rallies, the first of which was organised on Monday at Ballabhgarh, Faridabad. Modi will address two rallies on Tuesday- in Kurukshetra and Charkhi Dadri.

    Aware that the development plank is not a selling point in elections where caste and some anti-incumbency in the last five years are at play, BJP is raking up the nationalism issue to win votes with abrogation of Article 370 being a major issue.

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    BJP’s assessment is that it is facing a challenge in the Rohtak-Sonipat region and may lose some seats to Congress. Union minister Narendra Singh Tomar and BJP general secretary in-charge of the state Anil Jain are camping in this area to improve the party’s prospects. BJP candidate Meena Narwal is on a weak wicket in Kharkhauda reserved seat in Sonepat. After losing in the Lok Sabha elections, Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda is giving the party a tough fight in other seats of this region as well.

    In Hisar, though ex-Congress state unit chief Ashok Tanwar quitting the party will help BJP, the road is tough due to Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) and INLD. Kuldeep Bishnoi (Congress) is also a strong candidate against Tik-Tok star and BJP nominee Sonali Phogat.

    Though BJP has fielded wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt in Baroda (Jind), sources said it is not an easy battle and the party will have to make a strong effort to pull through.

    The party is also facing some rebellion in Faridabad and Gurugram where those who were denied a ticket are covertly opposing the BJP candidates. BJP is faced with the same problem in Rewari and a few other neighbouring constituencies.

    BJP has always been weak in Mewat, the region located in south Haryana. A sizable Meo Muslim population here has either backed Congress or INLD in the past. BJP has little hope in Punahana seat in Nuh district where Nauksham Chaudhary is the candidate. It has pinned all its hopes on Zakir Hussain and Naseem Ahmed in Nuh and Ferozepur Jhirka seats, respectively.


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