Confidence, development narrative led to historic win: Adampur MLA

Newly elected Congress MLA from Adampur, Chander Prakash, attributed his victory to shifting the campaign's focus from a "politics of legacy" to a "politics of development." Defeating Bhavya Bishnoi of the BJP, Prakash broke the 56-year political stronghold of the Bishnoi family in the Adampur Assembly segment, which had seen 16 consecutive victories by Bhajan Lal and his family.

During an interaction with the media, Prakash revealed the strategy behind his historic win. "During the campaign, I spoke to the people about the lack of development in the Adampur Assembly segment over the past two decades," he said. “This shift in narrative from legacy politics to development resonated with the voters and helped me win the contest."

Prakash admitted that while his campaign team had initial doubts about their chances, he remained confident throughout. "I was initially preparing to contest from the Nalwa Assembly segment, but at the last moment, I was given the ticket for Adampur. Despite my team feeling discouraged, I was certain we would win. Each morning, I would tell them that victory was ours, and this optimism energised them," he shared.

The former IAS officer and nephew of ex-Rajya Sabha member Ramji Lal, Prakash expressed respect for the Bishnoi family, despite defeating Bhajan Lal’s grandson. Prakash was recruited as an HCS officer, later promoted to IAS, and served as Commissioner in various parts of Haryana. He retired in 2017 and served as the State Information Commissioner before joining the Congress under former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

Knowing that prominent leaders like Chaudhary Devi Lal, Surender Singh, and Ranjit Chautala had contested and lost in Adampur, Prakash was undeterred. "I set my focus on development, aiming to lift Adampur from the backwardness it has faced for the past 20 years. I presented a clear vision for the constituency's growth, which was positively received by the people," he said.

Prakash emphasised that recent MLAs had neglected development work in the region, but his campaign’s emphasis on a clear policy and vision helped secure the trust of the voters.