Former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Hooda loses from Sonipat

Chandigarh: Former Haryana chief minister and senior Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda was on Thursday defeated by BJP's Ramesh Chander Kaushik from the Sonipat Lok Sabha seat.

According to the Election Commission, Kaushik won by a margin of 1,64,864 votes.

The dismal performance of the Congress' senior leader in Sonipat is a setback for the party in Haryana.

The ruling BJP is set to win all the 10 seats in the state.

Hooda, who had been two-time chief minister from 2005-2014, was at present a sitting MLA of the Congress from Garhi Sampla-Kiloi in Rohtak district.

He had jumped into fray from Sonipat, contesting the Lok Sabha polls after a gap of 14 years. Earlier, 71-year-old Hooda had remained a four-time MP from the Rohtak parliamentary seat. PTI SUN VSD