Though the result of Hissar by-election is a foregone conclusion that Haryana Janhit Congress – BJP Candidate Kuldeep Bishnoi would win and the Congress Party candidate Jai Prakash would be at the third position, it definitely sends strong warning to mend its ways. Otherwise, it is bound to meet its doomsday in 2014. It has happened on expected line and the message is clear for the Congress that if it did not introspect and analyze the causes that led it to defeat in not only Hissar by-election but in all in the different states of the country, it is bound to face the rout in general elections in 2014.
This is a wake-up call for the Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre. Apart from Hissar, the Congress has been defeated badly in assembly by- elections of Khadakwasla in Maharastra, an assembly by-election in Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka .
It can not be said that Anna factor did not work in the victory of Kuldeep Bishnoi. The Team Anna had campaigned for the defeat of Congress because they felt that it was not serious to bring and adopt Jan Lok Bill in winter session of Parliament. Anna had personally appealed the Hissar voters not to vote for Congress. And Team Anna led by Arvind Kejriwal campaigned in Hissar very strongly and made an impassioned appeal to voters to defeat Congress. He painted Congress to be on the side of corruption and did not speak on any other political party candidate in the fray of Hissar as all candidates except Congress party were the torch bearer against corruption.
However, the ground reality tells altogether a different story. The Congress candidate in Hissar Jai Prakash has much cleaner record according to the election commission record than the winner HJC-BJP candidate Kuldeep Bishnoi and the vanquished INLD candidate Ajay Chautala.
The Hissar voters became also confused a little after the campaigning of Team Anna against Congress. Though the campaigning against the Congress clearly reflected that its arch rival BJP or INLD would be benefited, has the Team Anna ever thought that they were going to support the more corrupt by opposing the Congress? Their main plank of anti-corruption campaign has got a jolt and diversion from the mission. Merely on the ground of perception that the Congress would not bring and adopt anti-graft Jan Lokpal Bill in the winter session of Parliament, their campaigning and canvassing against it has brought a spot on their apolitical character.
Gandhian and social activist Anna Hazare, who had galvanized the entire nation against corruption and even the Parliament of the nation respected his 12 days fast for anti-graft Jan Lokpal Bill for which he became a household name, has now definitely lost some of his movement’s sheen against corruption after his team’s campaigning against the Congress in Hissar while keeping mum on any other by –elections around the same time. Team Anna’s campaigning in Hissar against the Congress has also caused differences in it if the statement of its key member Shantosh Hegde is any thing to go by. He said that they should wait for the winter session to do this exercise.
Anna effect has worked in Hissar in small measure. Because the Congress did not ever expect victory there and the Hissar seat was vacated after the death of former chief minister of Haryana and HJC supremo Bhajan Lal. Kuldeep Bishnoi, son of Bhajal Lal, has won as HJC candidate supported by the BJP. Even Bishnoi has given no credit to Anna team for his victory. He has said that it is the track record of his father Bhajan Lal and HJC alliance with BJP that resulted in his victory. Anna Hazare effect has definitely lowered the percentage of Congress votes.
The defeat in Hissar by-election must be taken by the Congress party seriously and go into the causes of their defeat in all by-elections at this time. The party needs to immediately come out with the determination of fighting out corruption and take substantial measure to check rising prices of essential commodities and food inflation. The message has gone out in the public that the Congress government is totally unable to check the rising prices and it has almost surrendered before the corruption. Hissar by-election result has strengthened this type of perception against the party in countryside. The message has also gone out among the public that the Mammohan Singh government has no idea about how to deal with price rise, poverty, illiteracy and unemployment. It has only the mania of economic reforms, which has so far not benefited the deprived section of society.
Congress has to see that Hissar may not prove to be another Jabalpur parliamentary by –election when in 1974 the young Sharad Yadav of the united opposition for whom Jaiprakash Narayan had campaigned and defeated the Congress stalwart Sheth Govind Das, and that proved to be death knell for the Congress party in 1977.
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