Perhaps nobody knew it better than Sushma herself when she took over as Delhi Chief Minister less than two months ago. She had categorically expressed her reluctance to give up her Union ministership to become Delhi CM. And the cause of her reluctance is now becoming more apparent with each passing day.

But, as she had said then, ``as a loyal soldier'' she had no option but to take up the responsibility. It is because she did not want to burn her candle at both ends that she did not resign from her MP seat. (An MP is entitled to keep the seat for six months, even while taking up another political job). The Congress has already exploited this by saying that she has been committing a `fraud' on people by keeping her career alive through her MP seat.

It has made things worse for Sushma. If she chooses to retain her MP status, there will be no formidable leader with mass base left to lead the local BJP. Sahib Singh has already been assured a berth in the Union Cabinet and he looses no opportunity to score the point that he is waiting for the Prime Minister to invite him to take an oath as Cabinet minister. Madan Lal Khurana too is with the Centre.

On the second rung of the BJP leadership in the Delhi Assembly, the only people left are Dr Harsh Vardhan, Poornima Sethi, Jagdish Mukhi, Mewa Ram Arya, Nand Kishore Garg, Rajendra Gupta and Harsharan Singh Balli, who do not have a mass base. In fact, they too will be counted only if they emerge victorious in the elections.

The CMS poll survey indicates the Congress may get 40 seats, while the BJP may finish with 26 seats in the 70-member Delhi Assembly. The CMS poll, however, said 14 per cent voters surveyed were undecided.

In the past two weeks, the articulate Sushma tried to get the best out of the situation she was put in. The moment she chose the Hauz Khas constituency, she knew she would not have to work too hard for her victory. The Hauz Khas voters, as the electoral results show, have been very kind to the the BJP during Parliamentary as well as Assembly elections, even in its worst times.

In the past 10 days, thus, she spent as many as seven visiting the constituencies. She apparently drew up a strategy to sell her ``winnable'' image to other constituencies by declaring that her victory does not matter if they do not vote for the other BJP candidates.

In one public meeting at Sultanpur, she said: ``If the police remain alert, there will be no crime. If the electricity employees are available at the complaint centre, your complaints will immediately be redressed. And if you will send Kulwant Singh Rana (BJP candidate) to the Assembly, Sushma Swaraj will become the CM.'' This is the exit line that marks all her rallies. It also provides evidence that she could find herself in a situation where she wins the battle but loses the war.