Feb 15: The ruling Haryana Vikas Party and Bharatiya Janta Party combine would be in for a shock in the Lok Sabha elections in view of an undercurrent of anger against the ruling alliance in the state.There is a change in the mood of the electorate from the 1996 elections when a pro-HVP-BJP wave swept the state to the present anti-establishment mood.
Be it the ire against introduction of prohibition in the state, "imposition" of taxes to make up for the revenue loss of Rs 800 crore or the killing of farmers demanding replacement of burnt transformers in police firing, voters have strong reasons to justify their anger against the ruling combine.
The argument is repeated in almost all the constituencies. "Liquor is easily available at double the price" or "there is a home delivery of liquor and you name the brand". The menfolk are unhappy as they have to pay more to get the liquor while women who had voted overwhelmingly in favour of the ruling combine are upset because prohibition has failed to endtheir misery.
Rohtak, the nerve centre of Haryana politics and Jaat heartland, echoes similar sentiments. People say that firing on farmers was "unjustified".
After a tour of the different constituencies and talking to a cross section of people, one can draw a safe conclusion that the ruling combine's loss is going to be the gain of Haryana Lok Dal (R) and Bahujan Samaj combine and the Congress by default.
In fact, the BJP that had rode piggyback on the then strong HVP wave by winning four Lok Sabha seats is finding the going tough in Haryana. Same is the case with HVP. The combine that had won seven out of the total 10 seats in 1996, has little edge only in two constituencies.
A quick analysis makes the mandate clear. The BJP had won the Karnal seat by a huge margin of 1,91,865 votes when its nominee, I D Swamy, a green horn and a former IAS officer, defeated four-time winner Chiranji Lal Sharma.
However, things are different now as the Congress has a formidable candidate in Bhajan Lal, the formerchief minister and the shrewdest among the politicians who has never lost an election.
In adjoining Kurukshetra, Kailasho Saini of Haryana Lok Dal (Rashtriya), a firebrand woman leader of the party headed by Om Parkash Chautala is way ahead of HVP and Congress nominees. Industrialist Om Parkash Jindal who had won on HVP ticket in 1996 is now contesting from Hissar.
The Congress nominee is Chiranji Lal Sharma who had won from Karnal in 1980, 1984, 1989 and 1991 and had twice defeated BJP's Sushma Swaraj. But his son Kuldip Sharma, an advocate by profession is little known in Kurukshetra.
Om Parkash Jindal is finding the going tough this time. Surinder Singh Barwala of HLDR-BSP and Ranjit Singh of Congress, son of Devi Lal, the former deputy prime minister and HLD(R) leader are ahead of HVP nominee.
Sirsa (reserve) constituency, a traditional stronghold of Congress which returned Dalbir Singh in three successive elections and his daughter Selja, former union minister twice, is slipping from the Congressfold. Her closeness to HPCC chief Bhupinder Singh Hooda resulted in dissension in Congress leaders and those loyal to Bhajan Lal are openly working against her. The successful rally of BJP leader Atal Behari Vajpayee had also turned tables on her and Hans Raj Swan, former DGP who last in last election had gained lot of ground.
At present, Sushila Indora of HLDR-BSP combine is ahead of her rivals in Sirsa (Reserve) constituency. In Sonepat, Shiv Sena has fielded Arvind Sharma, who had won in 1996 as an independent. The HVP has put up Abhey Ram Dahia from here.
The Meo dominated constituency of Faridabad is witnessing triangular contest between BJP's Ram Chand, Congress party's Khurshid Ahmed and a Samajwadi party nominee, Avtar Singh Badhana, a gujjar. The BJP nominee had won from here during the last elections by a margin of 61,516 votes and is making a determined bid to retain the seat. However, support extended by Meo leaders Tayyab Hussain, Eziz Ahmed and Jaleb Khan to Badana is likely to consolidateposition of Badana. The constituency has about 3.30 lakh Meo voters.
Bhiwani, the stronghold of HVP supremo and chief minister, Bansi Lal, is witnessing fight between sons of political bigwigs. Contours of an opposition plan to beard the lion in its own den at Bhiwani have begun to show results. From here two sons of chief minister Bansi Lal, Surinder Singh and Ranbir Mahindera, a Congress nominee and a protege of Bhajan Lal and Ajay Chautala, son of former chief minister Om Parkash Chautala, HLDR nominee, are fighting to make the contest interesting.
In Rohtak, Devi Lal, former deputy prime minister, says that he is fighting his last election against HPCC president Bhupinder Singh Hooda who had twice defeated the former.
Supporters of Bhajan Lal are working against the latter. Sonia's well attended rally gave some initial advantage to Hooda but people say that they would not return Devi Lal.
Mohindergarh which returned former minister Ram Singh of BJP in 1996 poll would see a direct fight between himand Rao Inderjit Singh, first timer of Congress.
Ambala (Reserve) which had returned Suraj Bhan of BJP by a margin of 87,147 votes in the last elections would again witness fight between the BJP and Amar Kumar Nagra of Bahujan Samaj Party who is being backed by HLDR.
Congress nominee Raj Kumar Balmiki is considered a weak candidate and may finish third. How HLDR is able to transfer its vote bank in favour of BSP noinee Nagra would be an important factor for this constituency. Anil Vij, who had won as an independent MLA but later extended support to HVP-BJP government in Haryana and Akram of Chhaurali assembly constituency are both not supporting the BJP-HVP nominee, Suraj Bhan, former deputy speaker of Lok Sabha and are openly working for Nagra making things difficult for the ruling combine.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
