Assembly bypoll results: Bitter home truths for Congress

Congress slipping to a distant third in the Munugode assembly seat, which the party had won by a margin of over 37,000 votes, also showed that the ongoing Rahul Gandhi-led ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ in Telangana failed to shore up the party’s bypoll fortunes in the state, where TRS and BJP are emerging as principal rivals.

Congress losing the Adampur seat in Haryana, which the party had won by over 29,000 votes three years ago, drove home two uncomfortable messages for the Congress high command – a) The Bishnois taken away the traditional ‘Bhajan Lal support base’ from Congress to hand BJP its first win in over 50 years from this seat with Lal’s grandson winning on the lotus symbol. b) Congress’ defeat also demonstrates how the party’s high command’s recent decision to hand over the total command of Haryana Congress to the Hooda camp created divisions in the state Congress and alienated other party influencers.

The Adampur bypoll was widely seen as the solo show of strength by the Hooda camp, with BS Hooda’s confidant Jaiprakash getting handpicked as the Congress candidate and Deepender Singh Hooda acting as campaign commander. If the byelection was caused due to then sitting Congress MLA Kuldeep Bishnoi quitting the party and joining BJP in protest against the Congress high command handing over to the Hooda camp both the PCC and CLP leaderships, a conspicuous absentee in the Congress campaign was senior leader Kumari Selja, who was forced out of the PCC presidentship by the Hooda camp. MaAdampur is part of Selja’s home district of Hisar. AICC general secretary Randeep Surjewala was also not seen active in the Congress campaign in the bypoll.

On the other hand the Haryana BJP, which already has break-away claimant to ‘the Devi Lal legacy’, Dushyanat Chautala-led HPP as its ally, the Adampur victory cemented the saffron party’s co-option of ‘the Bhajan Lal legacy’ as well.