Haryana, which goes to Lok Sabha polls, on May 7 will decide the future of chief minister, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, in the state.
When process for Parliamentary elections was being decided, there were animated discussions in the political circles that the chief minister might recommend simultaneous elections to the state Assembly due in February, 2010.
It is in this light that the Lok Sabha election in Haryana is seen as a testing ground for the ruling Congress and chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda who claims it is his government that kick-started the development of Haryana. He has claimed at various platforms that Haryana is among the few states that had been unaffected by the ongoing slowdown.
The proposed industrial corridor, the top slot in per capita income and growth in VAT collection are the poll planks of Hooda.
On a number of occasions, the UPA chief, Sonia Gandhi has appreciated Hooda?s efforts and the Planning Commission also commended his performance. However, what would be significant is whether the Congress is able to repeat its 2004 performance when it won nine out of 10 seats, with the lone Sonepat seat going Bharatiya Janta Party?s way. The Congress party had polled 43% votes in those elections. In the last elections, the then Congress man and former chief minister, Bhajan Lal had given Hooda a helping hand and they had campaigned jointly. This time estranged Bhajan Lal has formed his own outfit, Janhit Congress. In most constituencies it is a contest between Congress, Janhit Congress and the Indian National Lok Dal and Bharathia Janta Party combine. The Haryana Janhit Congress was going strong but the Chander Mohan alias Chand Mohammad-Fiza episode seems to have set it back a little.
Bhajan Lal, 78, is in the fray for the Hisar Lok Sabha seat against the sitting Congress MP Jai Prakash. The contest on this seat will become triangular with the INLD putting up former finance minister Sampat Singh.