ROHTAK: Senior Gujjar leader from Haryana and four-time MP from Faridabad, Avtar Singh Bhadana is trying his luck in the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections from Meerapur seat.A former Congress leader, Bhadana, 57, had lost against Union minister Krishan Pal Gurjar in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Soon after, he had joined INLD.Known for switching his loyalties, Bhadana, who amassed wealth in the mining business, is contesting the UP poll on BJP ticket. Meerapur assembly segment is in Muzaffarnagar district and part of Bijnor Lok Sabha constituency.In Meerapur constituency, Gujjar community has about 18,000 votes out of 2,73,236 registered voters, but Bhadana wants to exploit the other backward classes (OBC) card there."BSP candidate Maulana Jameel was elected as MLA from Meerapur and it is one of the toughest seat for BJP since it is a Muslim-dominated seat. But if Avtar (Bhadana) wins this seat, he would become a force to reckon with in western UP," said an official of Bhadana's PR team. Asked about the leader deserting his base from Haryana, the official added, "Everyone knows about him being a three-time Faridabad MP, but few know that he also remained MP from Meerut previously."Bhadana's younger brother Kartar Singh Bhadana has been active in UP politics and is presently in Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) of Ajit Singh.During his tenure as Faridabad MP from 2004 to 2009, Bhadana faced flak for poor attendance record of 46% against the national average of 76% in the Lok Sabha. His rivals in Haryana dubbed him as a man having enough extra money to spend in politics.Political analysts feel Bhadana had little scope of revival in Faridabad due to the presence of another Gujjar leader, Krishan Pal, so he was forced to try his luck in UP.In Meerapur, Bhadana has been raising the Muzzafarnagar riots issue and claimed that BJP government at the Centre was the only option for voters in UP to set the things right. His social media campaign carries his picture with Prime Minister Narendra Modi -- to depict him as a 'tall' leader in BJP. Sources said he was trying to overcome his 'outsider' image in Meerapur with his fierce advertisement campaigns and road shows.

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