Hisar by-election: Bhajan Lal's son, Kuldeep Bishnoi, wins

Hisar: Kuldeep Bishnoi of the Haryana Janhit Congress has won the by-elections in Hisar by 23,617 votes. Mr Bishnoi's father, Bhajan Lal, died in June; he was the Lok Sabha MP for this constituency.

So, did Team Anna's high-octave campaign against the Congress help him?

Mr Bishnoi thinks not. "Team Anna has not been a factor here," he said, referring to Anna Hazare's closest aides campaigning vigorously here, asking voters to spurn the Congress.  (Kuldeep Bishnoi to NDTV: No team Anna factor here)
 
Mr Hazare's group had asked Hisar to prove to the Congress that voters will reject the party if it does not deliver the Lokpal Bill - a new anti-corruption bill - in the winter session of Parliament.  

"I support Anna...but his team should make it clear...who do they want people to vote for?  Are they against the Congress or are they against corruption?" asked Mr Bishnoi. He also said that the by-election has little place for the Congress, whose candidate Jai Prakash, is a distant number 3. "It's between Ajay Chautala (of the INLD) and me," Mr Bishnoi said. Mr Chautala's father, Om Prakash, has served in the past as Chief Minister of the state. The Chautalas have been accused of enormous corruption - the CBI has accused them of collecting assets worth thousands of crores that they cannot account for.

The BJP is supporting Mr Bishnoi. The by-election held on October 13 had witnessed a turnout of nearly 70 per cent. Civil society activists led by Arvind Kejriwal and Kiran Bedi launched an aggressive and extensive anti-Congress campaign, dubbing it as a "government of the corrupt".

A largely local election thus turned into a high-profile battleground and Hisar will be a litmus test for Team Anna to see if its impact goes beyond the Ramlila Ground, where thousands had supported Anna Hazare's 13-day fast in August. For the Congress, forced to rope in Chief Ministers of two neighbouring states to try and win a seat they haven't won since 2004, it is a matter of saving face.
As votes were counted, senior Congressman Salman Khurshid suggested that not too much be read into the Congress' electoral dismal showing. "Unlike other seats in Haryana, Hisar was not a strong seat for us. Not much should be read into it. You win some and you lose some," he said.  But the Congress has reacted sharply at all levels to Anna's campaign.

Hit by the Anna blitzkrieg, the Congress candidate in Hisar, Jai Prakash, protested strongly saying he was hurt and the people were angry with the anti-Congress campaign. "Anna Hazare's movement will fail because he has lost his way. Look at the way Prashant Bhushan has been beaten, (Arvind) Kejriwal will face similar consequences for the way he has created politics in Hisar and has spoken against Congress."  Mr Jai Prakash's comment shocked many and was interpreted by some as a threat. Mr Bhushan, a core member of Anna's inner circle, was beaten up at his Supreme Court chambers last week for his comments on Kashmir.  Mr Jai Prakash seemed to suggest that Mr Kejriwal was vulnerable to a similar attack. Mr Jai Prakash later said that was not what he meant.

Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh accused Anna Hazare of inadvertently benefitting its political rivals in the polls. The party General Secretary wrote an open letter to Mr Hazare saying, "Are you not aware of the history of the family of late Bhajan Lal? Are you not acquainted with the history of Chautala family? Are you oblivious of the fact that there were cases of corruption pending against them in courts?" (Read Digvijaya Singh's letter)

Mr Singh further said that people close to the veteran Gandhian were exploiting his image for their gain.