The Hindu : National / Elections 2004 : The battle of the `Lals'

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Wednesday, Apr 28, 2004

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National - Elections 2004

The battle of the `Lals'

Rajesh Ahuja

BHIWANI

Call it the battle of the Lals. A tough fight is on the cards in the prestigious Bhiwani parliamentary constituency with the scions of the "famous" Lals of Haryana battling it out for a Lok Sabha seat. The verdict here could also have a significant bearing on the outcome of the Haryana Assembly polls, which are due in February-March next year.

Interestingly, the battle here was to be fought between the two traditional rivals who have represented this constituency earlier — Surender Singh, son of the former Chief Minister and Haryana Vikas Party supremo, Bansi Lal, and Ajay Chautala, son of the present Chief Minister and Indian National Lok Dal president, Om Prakash Chautala. But there was an added twist with the Congress fielding Kuldeep Bishnoi, the son of another former Chief Minister and president of the Haryana unit of the Congress, Bhajan Lal. The BJP, which had supported Mr. Chautala during the 1999 polls, has fielded Ram Bilas Sharma, a former Minister in the erstwhile Bansi Lal cabinet. The Bahujan Samaj Party is also in the fray.

The three major contestants have launched their election campaigns in gruelling heat and dust, touring the vast constituency with nine Assembly segments — Badhra, Dadri, Mundhal Khurd, Bhiwani, Tosham, Loharu, Bawani Khera, Hansi, and Adampur — with a total electorate of 11,92,362. While Bhiwani and Tosham are the traditional bastions of Mr. Bansi Lal, Adampur is the home-turf of Mr. Bhajan Lal.

Flags of the HVP and the INLD, as well as a few of the Congress, can be seen fluttering over rural hutments and residential buildings in urban areas. Jeeps and other vehicles fitted with loudspeakers whiz by at high speeds through the lanes and by-lanes of Bhiwani. Mr. Surender Singh, who lost the 1999 Lok Sabha poll to Mr. Ajay Chautala by a margin of over 2 lakh votes, has set up office in his residence. Interestingly, Mr. Surender Singh had won from here in 1996 and 1998. In the 1998 polls, he defeated Mr. Ajay Singh by a margin of 9,711 votes. Dharambir, at present a sitting MLA of the Congress, had emerged runner up in 1999.

The Congress has set up offices all over the constituency and both Mr. Bhajan Lal and his son, Chander Mohan, the MLA from Kalka, are addressing meetings and mobilising support for Mr. Bishnoi, who had won a by-election from Adampur in 1998 when Mr. Bhajan Lal was elected MP from Karnal. However, the BJP seems to be behind as Mr. Sharma's candidature was cleared only a couple of days ago. Only a few vehicles could be seen carrying BJP flags in the heart of Bhiwani town on a Sunday morning. And the presence of BJP workers and other paraphernalia associated with electioneering were missing in the rural areas especially.

The HVP is in an upbeat mood. Party workers feel that the growing anti-incumbency factor against Mr. Ajay Chautala, and the impression that he is an "outsider" who promotes only the Jats, would be a key factor. A senior HVP leader said that the INLD would have to also face the negative impact of "glorifying" the late Deputy Prime Minister, Devi Lal, by erecting his statues all over the State. People openly talk about the growing resentment amongst a section of INLD workers who were reportedly "sidelined." Voters also feel that Mr. Ajay Chautala had "distanced" himself from the people and had not done much for the towns, with funds reportedly diverted to the rural areas. Mr. Bansi Lal is confident that the people of the constituency would re-elect Mr. Surender Singh with a massive margin.

The Congress workers, who were undecided at one stage whether to support a non-Jat candidate such as Mr. Bishnoi, have now reconciled themselves to his candidature, and are now openly coming out in support of Mr. Bishnoi. The support extended by Jat leader and Congress MLA from Tosham, Mr. Dharambir, has further boosted the Congress' prospects. However, the situation could change if factions headed by the Leader of the Opposition, Bhupender Singh Hooda and former Pradesh Congress Committee chief, Birender Singh, decide that Mr. Bishnoi is to be "defeated," a party worker commented. There are about four lakh Jat voters in the constituency. A senior Congress leader said that the presence of Mr. Sharma in the race would ultimately help Mr. Bishnoi. This is because the Brahmin community, numbering over 2.50 lakh, would rather vote for the party they feel would win the next Assembly elections and the "undercurrent" all over the State in favour of the Congress would surely swing the Brahmin votes.

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