Thus, when Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, who has been conducting the negotiations on behalf of the BJP, called on Chautala this morning, the latter was ready to play ball.

It is, of course, a loss of face for Chautala. But the BJP too will have to pay a political price for the compromise. Party circles acknowledged that the deal with Chautala means the end of the road for the BJP-HVP alliance in Haryana and they are bracing themselves for trouble from the party unit in the State, which has consistently opposed any tie-up with the INLD.

Haryana Chief Minister Bansi Lal and his son, Surinder Singh, the lone HVP MP, refused to meet the press after news of Chautala's volte-facespread. They were clearly upset at what they must perceive as the BJP's betrayal of an electoral pact.

Although BJP sources ruled out an immediate change in Haryana, they admitted that ultimately, they may be forced to concede to Chautala's demand to instal him as CM. This was the understanding with Chautala when the BJP sought his support last year before Vajpayee was sworn in.

Chautala is believed to have a suggested a formula which the party leadership is considering. It comprises a Cabinet berth for Surinder Singh and a gubernatorial assignment for Bansi Lal, thereby paving the way for Chautala to become the CM. For public consumption, the sop to Chautala for the support of his four MPs will be a lowering of urea prices which were hiked by Rs 400 per tonne recently.

Interestingly, DMK leader Murasoli Maran also pitched in with the efforts to bring Chautala around. The argument put to Chautala was that the ouster of the Vajpayee Government would mean the return of the Congress and Bhajan Lal inHaryana. Could Chautala digest that? Apparently, that worked.