2014 Lok Sabha polls: Poor show could end Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s unchallenged run in Haryana

NEW DELHI: Mandate 2014 could mark the end of Bhupinder Singh Hooda as a satrap, with Congress fearing a rout under his stewardship in Haryana despite having propped him at the cost of all other leaders and social groups.
Congress estimates say it may be down to only a couple of seats in the state. The post-poll feedback is that the party is locked in close contest in three seats but is losing in its dalit and Yadav strongholds. In contrast, a marginal force like BJP, with some luck, is poised for major gains.

Turncoat Gurgaon MP Rao Inderjeet Singh is seen as a winner while Congress may lose its dalit pocket of Ambala and even some Jat enclaves. That it should happen despite the principal regional outfit INLD of Om Prakash Chautala being in disarray shows that Congress has slipped in people's perception. Partymen argue the loss is only natural after two terms of party rule.

While being a major drop after clean sweep of the 10-seat state in successive elections, the results could pose a serious challenge to the unassailable position of Hooda who emerged as the new Congress satrap in the UPA-era.

There is concern that if BJP displaces Congress at the Centre, the going would be tough in the assembly polls to follow within six months. Party strategists fear BJP, an also-ran, may emerge a key player.

This bleak scenario does not augur well for Hooda whose rise and rise in party ranks has left many stunned.

There is bound to be regret over promoting Hooda at the cost of leaders and social blocs that have traditionally helped Congress in the otherwise unforgiving state. Gurgaon MP and Yadav face Rao Inderjeet left the party after his plea for being given importance went unheeded.

While dalit face and Union minister Kumari Selja was recently sent to Rajya Sabha, it is seen as a belated attempt to balance the power equations.

Rajya Sabha MP Birender Singh, a Jat, is still angry over being dumped in the UPA ministerial reshuffle at the last minute allegedly on Hooda's intervention. After Bhajan Lal, Haryana Congress is without a non-Jat face of consequence in its ranks.

At the same time, the party also chose Hooda loyalists to run the state organization, leaving little space for rival camps seeking accommodation.

Sources said the failure to stem erosion in Jat base despite the decision to include the community in the OBC list is bound to reflect as a failure of the state leadership.

Where it would leave Hooda is anybody's guess. Partymen feel some luck in the close seats could still save the day for the CM who is literally staring down the barrel.