Hooda had defeated former deputy prime minister Devi Lal thrice in succession between 1991-98 from the same Lok Sabha seat. Devi Lal's son and chief minister Om Parkash Chautala has made Rohtak a prestige issue and deputed senior functionaries of INLD to push Inder Singh's case.

State minister Dharamvir is camping in Badli assembly segment of the constituency while, Sri Krishan Hooda, a former minister is in Kiloi. Balbir Singh is incharge of Meham, Virender Pal is campaigning in Beri and Kanta Devi, who defected from Haryana Vikas Party to INLD, is the campaign in charge for Jhajjar segment of the Rohtak seat, generally called the nerve-centre of Haryana politics.

Taking no chances, Chautala himself has addressed a series of public meetings at Jhajjar, Kalanaur,Meham, Sadhwa and Rohtak town. To campaign for the INLD-BJP nominee, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee himself has addressed a rally at Rohtak. The extent of importance Chautala is attaching to Rohtak is be clear from the fact that at he declared at the Prime Minister's rally that he would quit active politics if Hooda won from his ancestral village Sanghi and assembly segments of Kiloi and Rohtak.

Hooda had defeated Devi Lal in 1998 by a margin of just 383 votes. Interestingly, Devi Lal had polled more votes in seven of the nine assembly segments falling under Rohtak constituency. However, in Rohtak town, he suffered major reverses as he polled just 9910 votes as against 42,446 votes polled by Hooda.

This time round, to make victory difficult for Hooda, an Independent candidate Arvind Sharma, who has shifted from Sonepat, has made a big dent in the votes of a particular caste.

During the last election Bahujan Samaj Party had supported Devi Lal while in this election INLD has an alliance with BJP.The CPI and CPM are supporting the Congress nominee. Most of HVP leaders who have left Bansi Lal and joined INLD are working for Capt Inder Singh except Sri Krishan Dass, MLA who is supporting the Congress candidate.