ADAMPUR: Haryana Chief Minister Bhajan Lal never had It so difficult in his Adampur Vidhan Sabha constituency, For the first time in his long political career, Bhajan Lal’s victory in Adampur is not being taken for granted, Giving Bhajan Lal a good nan for his money is his Haryana Vikas Party rival Surrender Singh, son of form or Chief Minister Bansi Lal, who is, without doubt, the strongest candidate Bhajan Lal has over faced. By exploiting the resentment against Bhajan Lal’s style of functioning and the general anti Congress sentiment in nearby constituencies, Surrender has ensured that Bhajan Lal’s sixth election in Adampur is not a cakewalk.
During his three terms as the Chief Minister, Bhajan Lal has nursed his constituency very well. His wife, Jasma Devi had won from Adampur even against the strong anti-Congress wave in 1987. In no past election, flags of Bhajan Lal’s opponents were seen in Mandi Adampur, for the first time, flags of the HVP are fluttering on rooftops, although their number is not so large. But the people advise outsiders not to go by the numbers, A common remark is that Bhajan Lal has met his match in Surrender for the first time, “It is a fight between two bulls and none can Say who will win,” said a shopkeeper.
Ten days ago, Bhajan Lal had, after completing a four day tour of the constituency, confidently declared that he would get more votes than Surrender in each and every polling station. He would not visit the constituency again before the polling day and only campaign for the Congress candidates in other parts of the state, he had said.
Article extracted from this publication >>May 1, 1996
