Four years after he lost the battle for Haryana chief ministership to Bhupinder Singh Hooda and left the Congress, Bhajan Lal is seeking a “respectable send-off” from the people of Hisar Lok Sabha constituency. Prior to a supposed retirement, he is telling voters to hand him a magnificent victory as a farewell gift.

While Bhajan Lal told a string of street-corner meetings here on Monday that he has passed on the baton to his son Kuldeep Bishnoi and people have to strengthen his hands, the onus is still on his aged shoulders to keep afloat the flag of the fledgling Haryana Janhit Congress.

The last of the famed Lal trinity of Haryana, Bhajan Lal looks worn out due to age and ill-health. But to ensure that the family outfit is able to open its account in the Lok Sabha polls, he is ready for a fight.

Coming nine months ahead of the Assembly polls in the state, the Lok Sabha elections are crucial for the Haryana Janhit Congress to position itself as a contender for the non-Congress space with the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) of Om Prakash Chautala. Otherwise a marginal player, the BJP can tilt the scales in favour of either.

Mindful of this, the BJP was wooed by both Chautala and Bishnoi before it decided to go along with the INLD. However, depending on who holds what number after the elections, that could quickly change. The BJP had earlier too switched between Bansi Lal and Chautala.

Ideally, Bishnoi should have led from the front and re-contested his Bhiwani Lok Sabha seat. Had he done so, Bhiwani would have become a battleground between descendants of all three Lals — as Chautala’s son Ajay Chautala and Bansi Lal’s granddaughter Shruti Chaudhry are already in the race. However, with Bishnoi developing cold feet, it is up to Bhajan Lal now to bear the Haryana Janhit Congress baton.

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