There is already a buzz around as Hisar district in Haryana goes to poll on October 13. As speculations mount over who will fill in the shoes of Late Bhajan Lal, these by-elections will be the first real test for Congress after the Anna Hazare movement.
As optimistic and relaxed as he may sound, the going is unlikely to be easy for the Congress on this seat, even history vows for the same. The party has won the Hisar seat only five of the 12 times in the Lok Sabha elections held in the state. Congress candidate and former MP Jai Prakash has won the seat three times, in 1989, 1996 and 2004, with tickets from the Janata Dal, Haryana Vikas Party and Congress tickets respectively. In the last Lok Sabha elections, Jai Parkash had to be contended with the third spot in the ballot tussle won by Bhajan Lal. Even otherwise, Hooda needs to prove that his government is popular after having come to power in the October 2009 Assembly elections backed by the support of independent legislators.
In the May 2009 elections, Bhajan Lal had won the Hisar Lok Sabha seat as a Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC) candidate by a margin of about 7,000 votes, beating the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and the ruling Congress nominees. This time around, the stakes for the three main players on the Hisar seat – the Congress, INLD and the HJC-BJP combine – are high as all parties are fielding their stalwarts who shall now try to fit into Bhajan Lal’s shoes. The seriousness of the contest can be gauged from the very fact that the main opposition INLD has announced the name of its leader Ajay Singh Chautala for the by-poll. Chautala, the son of former Chief Minister and INLD supremo Om Prakash Chautala, is a sitting legislator in the state. For HJC, & its new candidate for the seat – Kuldeep Bishnoi (who has been supported by the BJP) – the stakes are high – not only politically, but on a personal front as well. Bishnoi would definitely want to win this by-poll and retain the party’s hold over the area. However, his drawback is the fact that, it will be his first election without his mastermind father – his character will also be tested thoroughly.
If the HJC-BJP candidate Kuldeep Bishnoi defeats Ajay Singh Chautala of the INLD and Congress candidate Jai Prakash, the alliance would be cemented firmly for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and the subsequent assembly polls in the state. In a way, the Hisar Lok Sabha by-election could well be an indication of the new change in state politics.
More than anything else, the Hisar polls are only a beginning of the test that Congress has to face in coming times. With elections approaching in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Punjab within the next one year, the possibility of Hisar results reflecting upon the subsequent verdicts too cannot be totally ruled out.
In the May 2009 elections, Bhajan Lal had won the Hisar Lok Sabha seat as a Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC) candidate by a margin of about 7,000 votes, beating the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and the ruling Congress nominees. This time around, the stakes for the three main players on the Hisar seat – the Congress, INLD and the HJC-BJP combine – are high as all parties are fielding their stalwarts who shall now try to fit into Bhajan Lal’s shoes. The seriousness of the contest can be gauged from the very fact that the main opposition INLD has announced the name of its leader Ajay Singh Chautala for the by-poll. Chautala, the son of former Chief Minister and INLD supremo Om Prakash Chautala, is a sitting legislator in the state. For HJC, & its new candidate for the seat – Kuldeep Bishnoi (who has been supported by the BJP) – the stakes are high – not only politically, but on a personal front as well. Bishnoi would definitely want to win this by-poll and retain the party’s hold over the area. However, his drawback is the fact that, it will be his first election without his mastermind father – his character will also be tested thoroughly.
If the HJC-BJP candidate Kuldeep Bishnoi defeats Ajay Singh Chautala of the INLD and Congress candidate Jai Prakash, the alliance would be cemented firmly for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and the subsequent assembly polls in the state. In a way, the Hisar Lok Sabha by-election could well be an indication of the new change in state politics.
More than anything else, the Hisar polls are only a beginning of the test that Congress has to face in coming times. With elections approaching in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Punjab within the next one year, the possibility of Hisar results reflecting upon the subsequent verdicts too cannot be totally ruled out.
Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri
and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).
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An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri
and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).
For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM Best B School India
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman
IIPM's Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
