Rohtak : BJP remained on tenterhooks for long

Ravinder Saini

Tribune News Service

Rohtak, May 24

Bharatiya Janata Party workers and supporters of Rohtak MP Arvind Sharma waited for at least 10 hours to celebrate his victory in the Lok Sabha elections.

The contest between Arvind and Deepender was so close that the trends kept both the candidates and their supporters on the tenterhooks in each round. The lead witnessed many ups and own throughout the day. Sharma got into the lead when the numbers from Kosli and Rohtak Assembly segments came out. It started tilting towards the Congress during the counting of Beri and Garhi-Sampla Kiloi Assembly seats. The last rounds changed the game in the favour of the BJP.

Sharma took a narrow lead of more than 3,000 votes over his nearest rival, Congress’ Deepender Hooda, after the completion of counting of EVM votes at around 6 pm on Thursday, but he was declared elected by 7,503 votes at around 4 am on Friday after the counting of postal ballots.

While Congress nominee Deepender Hooda left the counting centre at CR Polytechnic Institute here after the counting of EVM votes, Arvind remained present till he was declared winner at around 4 am on Friday.

Earlier, Deepender’s poll agent Chander Sen filed objections over the counting of postal ballots claiming that proper procedure was not followed.

He also accused the authority of not providing postal ballots to a number of Army personnel and officials engaged in election duty but Returning Officer (RO) Yash Garg rejected their objections.

Out of 12,24,994 total votes, Arvind Sharma secured 5,73,845 votes and Deepender polled 5,66,342 votes.

Out of 15,320 postal ballots, the BJP got 7,603 votes and Congress polled 2,736 votes. Earlier, jubilant BJP workers started gathering in large numbers at the party’s poll office near Ashoka Chowk here around 7 pm on getting the information about the victory. They began celebrating with Cooperative Minister Manish Grover in absence of Sharma.

They remained in the office till 5 am on Friday. By then, Arvind Sharma reached there after the declaration of his win.

Narrow margin

• Out of 12,09,674 EVM votes, Arvind Sharma secured 5,66,242 votes and Deepender polled 5,63,606 votes.
• Out of 15,320 postal ballots, Arvind got 7,603 votes and Congress leader 2,736.