This is perhaps the most fiercely fought election in the state since its formation in 1966 and a question of survival for most of the regional satraps. The BJP, which had never in the past smelled victory on its own, is hoping to exactly this, such is the momentum after its spectacular performance in the Lok Sabha elections in the state. The party won 7 of the 10 seats in Haryana in May. For Hooda, it is a matter of survival. He is seeking votes in the name of development and 10 years of “good” rule. But the opposition trashes his claims. Large sections of the party, however, appeared to have given up the fight much before the election campaign began. Even the party’s manifesto had nothing new to offer. Om Prakash Chautala’s sudden emergence from jail on medical grounds gave a twist to the campaign. “There is no charge that I took money. The only charge is that I gave 3,000 jobs. You give us power and I will take oath from inside the Tihar jail. I will give 3,00,000 jobs if it means remaining in jail ever after,” he roared at a meeting.HJC chief Kuldeep Bishnoi, who was a chief ministerial candidate until he was with the BJP, became a fringe player alongwith Jan Chetna Party president Venod Sharma and Haryana Lokhit Party chief Gopal Goyal Kanda. They are only in a position to play a spoilsport for mainstream parties in some of the constituencies. A major fallout of the election outcome for the BJP could be its impact on the alliance with Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in Punjab. The SAD is the senior coalition partner with the BJP in Punjab but is in an adversarial role in Haryana due to its support for the INLD. The SAD is contesting two seats in alliance with the INLD.The SAD, incidentally, enjoys a majority on its own in Punjab Assembly and there would be no adverse impact immediately on the government in there if BJP decides to withdraw from the coalition.
