Hitender Rao is Senior Associate Editor covering the state of Haryana. A journalist with over two decades of experience, he writes on politics, economy, migration and legal affairs with a focus on investigative journalism.
Articles by Hitender Rao
BJP balances caste, regional aspirations in govt formation
Due consideration was also given to the caste factors while selecting these lawmakers for induction in the council of ministers. Since seven Brahmins and six Ahirs were elected as BJP MLAs, the party picked two Brahmins – Arvind Sharma and Gaurav Gautam and two Ahirs – Rao Narbir Singh and Aarti Singh Rao for ministerial berths.
Updated on Oct 18, 2024 09:48 AM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
Monthly stipend for women, 50% quota for deprived SCs soon after BJP 3.0 swearing-in
BJP functionaries said that the soon to be constituted Council of Ministers headed by the newly elected leader of the BJP legislature group, Nayab Saini will approve Lado Lakshmi Yojana entailing a monthly stipend of ₹2,100 to every woman in the state in its first meeting likely to take place on October 18. The yojana was announced by the BJP in its 2024 assembly poll manifesto.
Updated on Oct 17, 2024 08:34 AM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
Haryana: 10 ministers likely to take oath with Saini
The BJP is likely to keep at least three slots vacant while announcing member of the new Council of Ministers in Haryana.
Published on Oct 16, 2024 10:12 PM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
Haryana assembly elections: Inability to consolidate non-Jats, failure to pacify rebels did Congress in
The Congress, which led in 42 assembly segments when it won five out 10 Lok Sabha seats during the 2024 general elections, failed to touch the 40-seat mark in the Haryana assembly elections.
Updated on Oct 10, 2024 06:16 AM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
CM Saini meets PM Modi day after BJP stormed back to power in Haryana
Saini said he had done his duty and that the party’s parliamentary board and the lawmakers would elect their leader
Published on Oct 09, 2024 11:44 AM IST
Haryana election: Behind BJP’s third term, last-minute gamble that paid off
A second senior party leader, also asking not to be named, attributed the BJP’s win to the polarisation of non-Jat voters.
Updated on Oct 09, 2024 10:21 AM IST
BJP’s former ally JJP faces brunt of anti-incumbency in Haryana
Ex-deputy CM Dushyant Chautala, who had won from Uchana Kalan in 2019 by 47,452 votes, is trailing at sixth place; not a single candidate is even remotely in the contest in any of the 66 constituencies the Jannayak Janta Party is contesting.
Published on Oct 08, 2024 02:36 PM IST
BJP-led Haryana government ‘keen’ on granting parole to Ram Rahim
The self-styled godman has often been accused of trying to influence his followers to vote in a particular manner in the assembly elections.
Updated on Oct 01, 2024 04:50 AM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
Dera chief seeks parole again; poll panel questions reasoning
Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who is serving a 20-year jail term for raping two of his disciples, has once again sought a temporary release on a 20-day parole.
Updated on Sep 29, 2024 07:32 AM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
Haryana polls: Grandchildren vie for Bansi Lal’s legacy in bitter battle for Tosham
Estranged cousins Shruti Choudhry (BJP) and Anirudh Chaudhary (Congress) face off for family stronghold of Tosham, while BJP rebel Shashi Ranjan Parmar, who is contesting as an Independent, threatens to play spoilsport.
Published on Sep 27, 2024 02:40 PM IST
‘Helped BJP in 2019, but will form govt in Haryana now’: Dushyant Chautala
Former Haryana deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala speaks to Hindustan Times on a range of issues, including its split with the BJP earlier this year.
Updated on Sep 27, 2024 07:02 AM IST
Law and order in mess; Nayab Singh Saini lacks control: Dushyant Chautala
Months after its alliance with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ended in March, Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) was trounced in the Lok Sabha elections as it got less than 1% vote share
Published on Sep 26, 2024 09:37 AM IST
Haryana polls: Dynasts locked in four-cornered contest with greenhorns in Uchana Kalana
Congress candidate and former BJP MP Brijendra Singh, 52, who quit the saffron party before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, faces Independent and Congress rebel Virender Singh Ghogharian, 43, former deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala, 36, of JJP and Devender Chaturbhuj Attri, 44, of BJP in his family bastion
Updated on Sep 26, 2024 05:26 AM IST
Hitender Rao, Uchana Kalan (jind)
Haryana poll: Debutant scion takes on old warhorse on Kaithal turf
Congress MP Randeep Surjewala’s son Aditya, 25, looks to restore his family’s lost glory in fight against two-time MLA Leela Ram Gujjar, 63, of BJP, who is eyeing a re-election to the Haryana assembly.
Updated on Sep 25, 2024 08:28 AM IST
Haryana poll interview| BJP on way out, contest with Congress, says state AAP chief
Sushil Gupta says Arvind Kejriwal’s release from jail has been a morale booster for Aam Aadmi Party in Haryana, terms governance model in Delhi and Punjab AAP’s USP.
Updated on Sep 20, 2024 04:45 PM IST
Congress poll guarantees: Haryana set to bear financial burden of populism
Party’s please-all manifesto contains seven guarantees, including doubling social security pension to ₹6,000 a month, monthly stipend of ₹2,000 to all women, free electricity of up to 300 units and subsidised LPG cylinder for ₹500.
Updated on Sep 19, 2024 12:57 PM IST
Dynasts continue to dominate Haryana’s electoral scenario
At least seven candidates related to Devi Lal family are contesting the polls, some of them against each other as well. For instance, Devi Lal’s great grandson, Arjun Chautala (INLD) and Devi Lal’s son, Ranjit Singh (Independent) are pitted against each other in Rania constituency. Arjun is the younger son of Devi Lal’s grandson, Abhay Chautala.
Published on Sep 18, 2024 12:03 AM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
Haryana: Vinesh Phogat takes her fight to political mat
Vinesh Phogat got within striking distance of winning an Olympics gold or silver at the Paris Olympics before being disqualified because she was overweight by 100 grams in the 50 kilograms weight category she was competing
Updated on Sep 14, 2024 07:04 AM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
Haryana’s caste fault lines: Congress, BJP play to their strengths in ticket distribution
BJP has allocating one third of the tickets to upper caste non-Jat communities like Brahmins, Punjabi-Khatri, Vaish and Rajputs while the Congress has allocated one third of tickets to Jats and Jat Sikhs
Updated on Sep 13, 2024 09:14 AM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
Polls round the corner, Haryana govt may skip House meet, dissolve assembly
The council of ministers led by chief minister Nayab Saini may recommend the dissolution of the assembly to the governor on Wednesday to avoid summoning the House
Updated on Sep 11, 2024 07:24 AM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
Haryana elections: Why Vinesh Phogat took her fight to the political mat
Youngsters and women see her as someone who fights for justice and against gender disparity.
Published on Sep 10, 2024 07:02 PM IST
Political savvy Haryana sporting icons have little to show on poll turf
While 2008 Olympic bronze winning pugilist Vijender Singh unsuccessfully contested from South Delhi in 2019 Lok Sabha elections on a Congress ticket, Commonwealth gold winning grappler Babita Phogat, fielded by the BJP in 2019 assembly polls from Dadri constituency, lost badly
Updated on Sep 06, 2024 08:56 AM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
Congress, AAP start alliance talks for Haryana polls
The Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have started intense negotiations for a last-minute alliance in the upcoming October 5 Haryana elections.
Updated on Sep 04, 2024 01:15 AM IST
Reduction in price of HSIIDC plots: SC orders pvt firm to pay original allotment price
The apex court also came down heavily on the then managing director of Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation for allowing conversion of the plots to non-IT industrial plots with a reduced allotment price
Updated on Sep 04, 2024 06:26 AM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
Unemployment in Haryana: Over 45,000 grads, post graduates apply for sweeper’s job
Unemployment rate in urban areas in 15-29 age group increases to 11.2% in April to June, 2024 quarter, increases to 17.2% for urban women in 15-29 age group: Central govt report
Updated on Sep 03, 2024 09:40 AM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
Over 46k grads, post graduates apply for sanitation staff post
Over 46,000 graduates in Haryana applied for sanitation worker positions paying ₹15,000/month due to unemployment.
Updated on Sep 03, 2024 05:52 AM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
Haryana polls: Front-runner in polls, Congress plagued by factional feuds
The Congress, which is Haryana’s principal opposition party, remains a divided house with a number of party leaders hostile towards each other.
Updated on Sep 01, 2024 04:55 AM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
Dushyant’s flagship private sector job quota faded before polls
Promises on increasing old age pension, loan waiver and restoration of old pension scheme for employees couldn’t get through.
Updated on Aug 28, 2024 08:02 AM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
‘Stark disparity’ in share of two categories of scheduled castes in govt jobs, shows data
60.3% share of Haryana government jobs for scheduled castes are with those other than the deprived category.
Updated on Aug 21, 2024 07:38 AM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
Haryana assembly polls: BJP and Cong in eyeball-to-eyeball contest
Political analysts say that BJP’s 10-year rule in Haryana would affect party’s prospects in the state assembly elections
Updated on Aug 17, 2024 07:46 AM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh