Rajesh Moudgil is a Special Correspondent in Haryana bureau of Hindustan Times.
Articles by Rajesh Moudgil
BJP gets majority in Haryana; race for CM seat wide open
Albeit, there were several contenders for the Haryana top seat, the race for BJP chief ministerial candidate in the state is wide open as yet. The stereotype answer of the top BJP leaders to this question is the same -- it is the party high command and the parliamentary board who will decide on the CM issue.
Updated on Oct 19, 2014 05:19 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Rajesh Moudgil, Chandigarh
Haryana elections: INLD likely to be the biggest loser
The INLD, which was known to be a party of well-oiled organisation with strong cadre base and which had more than one or more MLAs in 18 of the total 21 districts of the state, has been wiped out in 13 according to the latest trends.
Updated on Oct 19, 2014 01:39 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Rajesh Moudgil, Chandigarh
Haryana polls: With third defeat in a row, INLD slides further down
Haryana’s principal opposition party Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), which till Sunday had 31 MLAs in the House of 90, lost its strength by 12 MLAs, thus registering its third consecutive defeat in the assembly elections.
Updated on Oct 20, 2014 08:20 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Rajesh Moudgil, Chandigarh
BJP’s CM candidates in Haryana
Albeit, BJP has not officially named its chief ministerial candidate, there are several eyeing the top chair. The BJP state president Ram Bilas Sharma, 65, is one of them. With RSS background, Sharma -- who hails from Mahendergarh -- has been MLA from that seat for four consecutive terms - 1982, 1987, 1991, 1996.
Updated on Oct 21, 2014 02:32 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Rajesh Moudgil, Chandigarh
Haryana assembly polls: Congress may save face, but not the grace
Even though chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and a few other senior Congress leaders are surging ahead in their respective constituencies, there are many who are trailing behind even on the third or lower spots, as the counting of the assembly polls is in progress.
Updated on Oct 19, 2014 01:54 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Rajesh Moudgil, Chandigarh
Haryana assembly polls: BJP surges ahead in initial rounds
The BJP candidates surged ahead in the initial rounds in at least 40 of the total of 90 seats in Haryana, as the counting for the assembly polls was in progress on Sunday.
Updated on Oct 19, 2014 11:15 AM IST
None | Rajesh Moudgil, Chandigarh
Haryana polls: In turnout, women emerging as equals
As Haryana set a new voting turnout record in the assembly elections held on Wednesday at 76.54% — a figure confirmed by the Election Commission — there was a heartening trend visible when one compared the turnout by women to that by men.
Updated on Oct 18, 2014 01:03 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Rajesh Moudgil, Chandigarh
Jail is no bar: How Jayalalithaa, Lalu, Chautala hold on to power
Jail durbars, loyalists and an enduring aura help political leaders like J Jayalalithaa, OP Chautala, Lalu Prasad Yadav and M Karunanidhi ensure the smooth running of their parties while they are in prison.
Updated on Oct 13, 2014 12:33 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Danish Raza, KV Lakshmana, Rajesh Moudgil, Ashok Kumar Mishra, New Delhi
Brothers, CM hopeful locked in keen contest in Jat heartland
The sitting Indian National Lok Dal MLA, Parminder Dhull is locked in a keen fight with his brother and Congress candidate Dharminder Dhull in the Jat heartland. Interestingly, though Julana has never elected a non-Jat candidate so far.
Updated on Oct 11, 2014 01:20 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Rajesh Moudgil, Julana (jind)
Debut of Sushma’s sister makes it a keen contest
This seat has been in focus as the BJP has fielded Vandana Sharma, younger sister of Union external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, in what is the former political science teacher’s poll debut.
Updated on Oct 09, 2014 09:05 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Rajesh Moudgil, Safidon (jind)
4-time MLAs square off in grudge battle
Gloves are off for a fierce grudge fight between sitting le gislator Anil Vij (Bharatiya Janata Party) and former minister Nirmal Singh (Congress), both of whom have been MLA four times.
Updated on Oct 05, 2014 12:15 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Rajesh Moudgil, Ambala Cantt
Congress war-room: All-out battle for ruling party in Haryana assembly polls
Eyeing hat-trick: Faced with the monumental challenge to win back the trust of voters for the formation of government for the third consecutive time, the managers at the Congress war room also shoulder the responsibility of keeping the voters abreast with the works of the two-term Congress government.
Updated on Sep 30, 2014 01:21 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Rajesh Moudgil, Chandigarh
INLD war room: They cannot afford to go wrong
Chautalas at work: To the Indian National Lok Dal, the assembly elections are war, and the party think tank is at work, round the clock at times. The atmosphere is surcharged like never before but it cannot afford to err.
Updated on Sep 27, 2014 12:07 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Rajesh Moudgil, Chandigarh
Haryana elections: ‘Inauspicious’ time to file nominations; leaders dither
It is election season in Haryana and candidates across big parties are in a quandary because of the 17-day Shraadh period, believed to be an inauspicious time to start a new work, in this case their filing of nomination.
Updated on Sep 24, 2014 04:40 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Rajesh Moudgil, Chandigarh
INLD, BJP name candidates; many claimants for Cong nomination
While the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) has fielded its sitting MLA Dilbag Singh from Yamunanagar assembly constituency for the October-15 assembly poll, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has named Ghanshyam Dass Arora. For the Congress ticket, there are many claimants.
Updated on Sep 22, 2014 02:53 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Rajesh Moudgil, Chandigarh
Haryana polls: Achhe din for turncoats in BJP 2nd list
The Bharatiya Janata Party declared its remaining list of 47 candidates for the Haryana assembly elections on Saturday, ensuring that turncoats who had joined the party recently were rewarded with a ticket and had achhe din in store.
Updated on Sep 21, 2014 10:23 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Rajesh Moudgil, Chandigarh
Haryana polls: CM hopefuls, by the dozen
Even though the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Haryana appears for the first time in a realistic position to take a shot at the power and has strategically refrained from officially naming its chief ministerial candidate, there are several in the saffron party who are harbouring dreams of occupying the coveted chair.
Updated on Sep 20, 2014 02:34 PM IST
None | Rajesh Moudgil, Chandigarh
BJP, INLD name candidates; Congress may field former MLA
The going may not be easy for the Bharatiya Janata Party legislature group leader and sitting MLA Anil Vij if the Congress fields its senior leader Nirmal Singh from Ambala Cantt constituency for the October-15 assembly elections.
Updated on Sep 19, 2014 03:17 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Rajesh Moudgil, Rohtak
Tough, multi-cornered contest in the offing
Except for the INLD, no other major political party has named its candidate so far for Faridabad (NIT) seat, where Independent Shiv Charan Lal Sharma, who is labour minister in the present government, is in for a keen fight in the ensuing assembly election.
Updated on Sep 13, 2014 11:34 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Rajesh Moudgil, Chandigarh
Keeping the opposition alive despite adversities
The principal opposition party in Haryana, the Indian National Lok Dal is in a state of struggle like never before. While its top leaders are in jail and some of its MLAs have switched loyalties, the party has attracted some leaders from other parties ahead of the assembly elections.
Updated on Sep 11, 2014 11:46 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Rajesh Moudgil, Chandigarh
Setbacks aplenty, the worst phase for Bhajan Lal’s heirs
The tallest non-Jat leader of Haryana, Bhajan Lal ruled the state for over a decade and won election after election for over four decades but his political heirs and sons, Chander Mohan and Kuldeep Bishnoi are passing through the worst phase of their political lives.
Updated on Sep 08, 2014 05:03 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Rajesh Moudgil, Chandigarh
Tau’s family tree weathers all storms
At a time when the dynasty politics of the arguably mightiest among the three Lals of Haryana, could flourish, the circumstances against the Devi Lal’s clan could not have been worse ahead of the ensuing assembly elections.
Updated on Sep 04, 2014 10:52 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Rajesh Moudgil, Chandigarh
Asset for BJP, ‘fizz’ for others
He may not like it but his colleagues in the Haryana Vidhan Sabha sum up the four-time MLA from Ambala Cantt, Anil Vij, as one full of fizz. For his party, the BJP, he is an asset.
Updated on Sep 03, 2014 11:54 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Rajesh Moudgil, Chandigarh
Unguarded before BJP tide
Shiv Charan Lal Sharma is a Congress rebel who got elected to Haryana assembly as an independent candidate and became labour and employment minister in the Bhupinder Singh Hooda government.
Updated on Aug 30, 2014 12:59 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Rajesh Moudgil, Chandigarh
His fate hangs on Cong health
More than anything else, the political fortune of the Haryana health minister Rao Narender Singh (52) depends on the health of the Congress in the ensuing assembly elections. Anti-incumbency apart, exit of several senior leaders, of late, has not done the party any good.
Updated on Aug 27, 2014 09:37 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Rajesh Moudgil, Chandigarh
Minister’s report card: BJP worries Badkhal veteran
The revenue minister has been able to push his plans and programmes; on the flip side, some say, he has remained inaccessible to people and failed to ensure basic amenities despite his over 40 years of political career.
Updated on Aug 22, 2014 10:46 AM IST
BBC | Rajesh Moudgil, Chandigarh
Another jolt to Cong as Bhadana joins INLD
In yet another major blow to the Congress, the three-time MP from Faridabad, Avtar Singh Bhadana (58) quit the party and joined principal opposition party, the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) in New Delhi on Wednesday.
Updated on Aug 20, 2014 11:33 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Rajesh Moudgil, Chandigarh
Bhadana accuses Hooda of blackmailing Sonia over Vadra land deals
In yet another major blow to the Congress, the three-time MP from Faridabad, Avtar Singh Bhadana (58) quit the party and joined principal opposition party, the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) at New Delhi on Wednesday.
Updated on Aug 21, 2014 08:15 AM IST
Rajesh Moudgil, Chandigarh
20 Cong, INLD leaders set to join BJP today
Even as the flock of BJP ticket-seekers is swelling with every passing day, at least 20 Congress and Indian National Lok Dal leaders are likely to join the saffron party at a rally of its national president Amit Shah at Mahendergarh on Thursday.
Updated on Aug 14, 2014 01:31 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Rajesh Moudgil, Chandigarh
BJP and HJC harden stands, refuse to blink on seat sharing
Both BJP and Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC) on Tuesday hardened their positions on the seat arrangement in the ensuing assembly elections in the state with both refusing to yield ground to each other.
Updated on Aug 06, 2014 01:31 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Rajesh Moudgil, Chandigarh