CM Sharma?

THERE is a general perception in Haryana that there is no threat to Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. In Congress circles, everybody accepts and admires him. They are convinced that after Charan Singh and Devi Lal, Hooda is the biggest crowd puller in the country. This, they say, has been proven after the Gohana rally recently where Hooda spoke before approximately one lakh people. The Congress leadership in Delhi too has been made to believe that there is no threat to Hooda and there is no opposition. Right now, the opposition in the state is fragmented and fractured and not united enough to take Hooda head on. But Hooda and his classmate team has a plan ‘B’ where in any eventuality if everything fails, power should not go from their clutches. Venod Sharma, his school-time chum, is the second-in-command for succeeding Hooda in any eventuality. Sharma is also keen to fulfil his life time desire to become Chief Minister. Had the Jessica Lal murder case not taken place, sources reveal that Venod Sharma was the first choice for CM’s post in 1999. To better his chances, Venod Sharma has been extensively touring the state for the last one year, doing Jat, Brahmin and Dalit rallies. He has everything at his disposal–men, money and muscle. Venod Sharma’s terror is so much in the Congress party that Selja Kumari had to request Sonia Gandhi personally to send her to Rajya Sabha as Sharma would allegedly obstruct her chances of winning the Ambala seat in the 16th Lok Sabha polls. November 2014 is not very far when the Haryana Assembly will also go to polls. So Hooda and his friends are ready to promote the de facto Chief Minister Venod Sharma as the de jure Chief Minister as they do not want to lose the state which allegedly sends millions to their coffers every day. Surprisingly, Venod Sharma had a meeting with BJP President Rajnath Singh to discuss the possibility of working together in Haryana. The meeting was fixed by his television editor. Is Venod Sharma joining the BJP?