After humiliating defeat in Hisar parliamentary byelections, Harayana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda is trying to put up a brave face for the two Assembly byelections due on November 30. The Ratia and Aadampur elections are turning out to be an acid test for the chief minister.
Mr Hooda, who has distinction of repeating his term as the chief minister of Haryana, the only one in the state till now, seems to be facing toughest time in last seven years. The state Congress party is trying to interpret the Hisar election debacle as an obvious result. Chief minister Hooda himself has admitted “Hisar was never our stronghold. It was lost even in 2009 parliamentary election when the Congress swept nine out of 10 parliamentary seats in the state”.
However, the fact that the Congress candidate lost its security makes it hard for the state party leaders to explain.
The campaigning by team Anna against the Congress in Hisar election also brought this election under national focus.
Against this backdrop, byelections become more prestigious for the party. The Ratia seat fell vacant after sitting INLD MLA Gian Chand Ode died. The Adampur Assembly seat was vacated by HJC president Kuldeep Bishnoi following his victory from the Hisar Lok Sabha seat.
Despite the public utterances by chief minister that Hisar outcome would have no bearing on the byelections, many in the party feels contrary.
Party sources say that both Ratia and Adampur seats would pose a tough challenge to the ruling party in the state. Both fall in areas that are traditionally strongholds of the Chautalas and the Bhajan Lal family. Ratia is in Fatehabad district, which, along with Sirsa, is the pocket borough of the INLD. Similarly, the Bhajan Lal family has never lost from Adampur.