Bhajan accepts Congress challenge to fight from Adampur

Hisar, Apr 18 (UNI) Former Chief Minister Bhajan Lal will enter the electoral fray for the ninth time from his old citadel of Adampur, this time on a Haryana Janhit Congress ticket, to fight the assembly bypoll on May 22.

''I accept this challenge of the Congress party,'' he said when asked by mediapersons here for the reaction to the possibility of Ranjit Singh, son of former deputy prime minister Devi Lal, fighting him this time.

Earlier, Ranjit Singh, Vice-Chairman, Haryana Planning Board, who arrived here last evening after apparently getting a verbal nod from the Congress party leaders as a likely candidate for Adampur, was accorded warm welcome by his supporters and party workers.

Beer Singh Dalal and Ram Avtar Nalva are also lobbying for the Congress ticket from Adampur, which has remained like an impregnable fort with the Bhajan Lal family so far.

In 1977, when Janata Party had swept the state by winning 75 seats, Jasma Devi, wife of Mr Bhajan Lal, was one of the five opposition winners in the state.

Even political heavyweights like late Devi Lal had also lost contest in Adampur in 1972.

Mr Bhajan Lal claimed, though first time entrant, Haryana Janhit Congress, would win all the three byelections in the state.

In a press statement, HJC (BL) supremo Kuldeep Bishnoi said,''We rightly chose the path of struggle and now the masses are with us.

The expulsion of MLAs will boomerang on the Congress in the byelections and our new party would win all the three seats.'' Meanwhile, Ajay Singh Chautala told newspersons here today that the INLD would delcare its candidates in Delhi tomorrow at the high level meeting of the party.

UNI XC JN RR VC1805