Dhumal showed it all on Monday. He made the Centre agree to setting up of a group centre of the CRPF in the Nupur sub-division of Kangra district. "This was necessary in the backdrop of what is happening in the bordering J&K", Dhumal told a small group of journalists in New Delhi.

The academician-turned-politician has taken a futuristic approach. And rightly so. He says he does not want to get caught unawares. His hint is towards the possible incursion of Pak-trained terrorists into the otherwise peaceful state of HP. There are already reports about the terrorists trying to cross over to HP.

Dhumal said some 300 new special police officers would be deployed in areasbordering J&K to ensure peace and law and order. Dhumal's post-Kargil exercise has endeared him greatly among the voters. He has already visited homes of almost all the soldiers killed in action, apart from sanctioning monetary grants liberally. "I am taking care of the parents of the killed soldiers, in particular. They cannot be left alone", he says and hints that the government would encourage remarriage of young widows.

The chief minister's prompt and humane actions are bound to pay rich electoral dividends. No wonder, the Central BJP leaders are sure of retaining three out of four Lok Sabha seats in this election.

--Devsagar Singh