Chautala, Bishnoi on one stage, BJP, JJP close Adampur campaign with a united front

Dushyant and Bishnois belong to two rival political dynasties of Haryana – Dushyant being the great-grandson of Devi Lal, and Bhavya the grandson of Bhajan Lal. Moreover, in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Dushyant, Brijendra and Bhavya had contested against each other from Hisar, with Brijendra winning.

The show of strength was meant to send a message to the Congress, which is promising a tough contest led by its veteran Bhupinder Singh Hooda. The Congress candidate is Jai Prakash.

Seeking votes for Bhavya, Dushyant said in his speech: “Three years ago, Brijendra Singh, Bhavya and I contested from Hisar Lok Sabha seat. While you sent Brijendra Singh to the Lok Sabha, six months later, I contested from Uchana and reached the Vidhan Sabha. Now, Bhavya has also got a chance again. You must send him to the Vidhan Sabha too, and ensure you get a say in the state government.”

CM Khattar showered praises on Bhajan Lal and called Adampur as the late leader’s “karmbhoomi”. He also applauded Kuldeep Bishnoi, calling him a “courageous leader”, and said he reached out even when in the Congress for works related to his constituency. Kuldeep’s defection from the Congress to the BJP necessitated the Adampur bypoll.

Urging voters to “give a final blow” to the Congress with the bypoll result, he hinted at Hooda having not let Bhajan Lal (a non-Jat) become CM in 2005 despite the Congress getting 67 seats in the Assembly polls. “The BJP is one party that never does caste politics,” Khattar added. “In 2014, when I took oath as CM, I gave the slogan ‘Haryana Ek, Haryanvi Ek’. Anywhere in the state, even if our party has not won from there, we have never neglected a constituency. We have done holistic development of the state.”

Khattar also accused the Congress of being “anti-Dalit”, citing the exit of former Haryana PCC president Ashok Tanwar from the party and the removal of Kumari Selja from the same post.

Calling Congress candidate Jai Prakash a “fused bulb”, Khattar asked why party leaders, including Randeep Surjewala, Selja and Kiran Choudhry, did not come to campaign in Adampur. In another hint at the divided house of the Congress, the CM said it was a “sinking ship” and a father-son duo party. The Congress’s campaign has been led by Hooda, his son and Rajya Sabha MP Deepender, and HPCC president Udai Bhan.

Kuldeep Bishnoi offered his apologies to the people, adding: “It is only because of you all that I resigned from Vidhan Sabha membership, when nobody even dares leave the post of sarpanch. I request you all for your blessings so that I can bring the golden era of Adampur back.”

With the last day of campaigning coinciding with Haryana formation day of November 1, 1966, Khattar said doubts had been expressed once whether the state would be able to sustain itself. Haryana was now at the top on many parameters, the CM said, citing among his government’s achievements, recruitment for government jobs, “crusade against corruption”, a grievance redressal mechanism, tackling of Covid-19, and the government’s crackdown against drugs.

AAP’s Satender Singh and the INLD’s Kurdaram Nambardar are the other two candidates in the fray.