Cop’s daughter, history-sheeter’s wife: Manju Hooda faces uphill battle against Bhupinder Singh Hooda

Manju claims her husband is a “reformed man” whose criminal record is a “thing of the past”. “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,” the BJP candidate tells The Indian Express.

One of Rajesh’s close aides says, “Rajesh has already spent more than 10 years in prison. He has been acquitted in the main murder case in which he was arrested long ago. There are other cases but no fresh case has been registered against him. He is leading a social life like a normal person.”

However, Inspector Satpal, the Rohtak Sadar Station House Officer, tells The Indian Express, “He (Rajesh) figures in the list of BC (Bad Character) persons in the records of my police station. There are 18 criminal cases, several of them for heinous crimes, registered against him. He may have been acquitted in one or two but there are several cases in which investigation is pending. He is a history-sheeter. What else do you call a man facing 18 cases?”

Taking down someone like Hooda, who is considered one of the prospective Chief Ministers if the Congress comes to power, is no easy task and for Manju, the days are a long hard slog. (Express photo by Kamleshwar Singh)

Manju is facing someone who has held the seat since 2005. Ask her if she thinks she is a “weak candidate”, the BJP candidate seems upset. “There have been several incidents in history when rookies emerged as giant killers,” says Manju. “It is a fact that I am a newcomer but I am getting immense support from the people of my constituency. The BJP has also shown faith in a newcomer like me due to the social work that I have been doing all these years.”

But taking down someone like Hooda, who is considered one of the prospective Chief Ministers if the Congress comes to power, is no easy task and for Manju, the days are a long hard slog. “We campaign for nearly 18-20 hours daily. I have been touring my constituency with my supporters and party workers for several weeks now. I have already covered my constituency twice,” says the BJP leader, who is a close aide of Union Minister and former Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar.

About Hooda, Manju says, “He is my elder. My party’s vision and my vision are different from his. I want to work towards promoting brotherhood among all 36 biraadaris (communities). I want to ensure employment for the youth of my constituency and state. I want to further improve the infrastructure in villages.”

To reach out to voters, Manju is depending on an army of youth who are big supporters of her husband. “They are my support. When I go to my constituency, people recognise me and recall the work that I did for them in the past. I might have forgotten what all I did for my constituency but I am fortunate they remember it all,” she says.

At an event, Uttar Pradesh BJP leader Satish Sharma who is the party’s in-charge for Garhi Sampla-Kiloi tells The Indian Express, “It will be a mistake if the Congress or Bhupinder Singh Hooda consider Manju Hooda as a rookie. She is a young and dynamic leader. Manju has a significant personal vote bank. As such, the people of Garhi Sampla-Kiloi want a change and we are hoping that Manju will deliver an impactful performance.”