Adampur bypoll: A do-or-die for dynast Bhavya Bishnoi

: The Adampur bypoll will be a litmus test for BJP candidate and dynast Bhavya Bishnoi, who not only faces a humongous task of keeping the assembly seat in his family’s kitty but also salvage his political career through a win from the constituency that goes to polls on Thursday.

The Bhajan Lal clan dynasty has kept a stranglehold on the assembly constituency for the past five decades. Bhavya is the grandson of former Haryana chief minister Bhajan Lal.

Bhavya is taking another shot at his political career after he badly lost his debut Lok Sabha election as a Congress candidate from Hisar Parliamentary constituency in 2019, finishing a poor third and losing his deposit after getting a mere 15.6 % votes.

A big downer for him was that he even trailed in the family stronghold of Adampur assembly segment and finished second to another debutant, BJP candidate Brijendra Singh. Bhavya polled 35,895 votes and trailed by 23,227 votes in Adampur.

Out on bail in Black Money case

Facing prosecution under the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act and being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate for violation of provisions of Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), Bhavya, as per an August 5, 2022 order of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Special Acts, Tis Hazari Courts is out on bail.

In fact, his father and former Adampur MLA Kuldeep Bishnoi’s decision to join the BJP was a politically expedient move considering the Black Money Act cases and ED probe against him and his son.

A good win for Bhavya in the November 3 bypoll would resuscitate his political career and possibly put the family at some ease from the blaze of the income tax authorities and ED. An upset, however, will impede his and his family’s political plans.

Prof Ashutosh Kumar, a political scientist from the Panjab University (PU), Chandigarh, says that the Adampur assembly bypoll is far more important for Bhavya and his family than the BJP.

“For remaining politically relevant, dynasties need to win elections. Bhavya has lost once badly and this bypoll will be a big test for this Oxford graduate. Even his father, Kuldeep Bishnoi will be under tremendous pressure,” Prof Kumar said.

How important is the contest for the BJP?

The assembly bypoll holds some significance for the ruling BJP which has about two years of tenure left in Haryana. The saffron party has lost the last two assembly polls – Baroda to the Congress and Ellenabad to the INLD. The BJP would like to add Adampur seat to its tally of 40 and feel comfortable.

Prof Kumar of PU says that BJP despite not getting a simple majority in the 2019 assembly poll is sitting pretty due to the support of Independent MLAs and its post poll alliance partner, Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) of Dushyant Chautala. However, a win at Adampur would certainly break BJPs bypoll jinx in Haryana.