Through the third eye: Anna's campaign in the Hisar has come as a blessing in disguise for anti-Bhupinder Hooda groups

Team Anna Hazare's anti-Congress campaign in the Hisar LS bypoll has come as a blessing in disguise for the anti-Bhupinder Singh Hooda groups in the Haryana Congress. Hooda had angered a powerful Congress section when senior leader and the then-chief ministerial aspirant Birender Singh 'mysteriously' lost the last assembly poll. Though Hooda denied having a hand in the 'ambush', his inner-party rivals never trusted his word.

This time, Hooda pushed through the candidature of Jai Prakash even though Singh had met Rahul Gandhi with an offer that his IAS son was ready to quit and contest on the Congress ticket. Many local Congress leaders are also opposed to Prakash, known to change parties every poll season. The joke in Congress circles is that since Anna seeks to take credit for defeating the Congress, anti-Hooda Congress leaders can now do their own act without risking the 'internal sabotage'.