In January, Sumitra, a physician, and her husband had stayed at the state government rest house the scene of this week's action when it was booked for election observers. ``When I came to check the arrangements, I found that she had locked her room and taken the keys with her. However, we did not meet as Panchayat officer Maj R S Chahal talked to her and asked her to vacate the premises. She said that she would leave the next day,'' says Phulia.

Sumitra says she was staying at the Rest House as she had injured her back and could not climb the stairs to her first-floor residence. ``I was so badly injured that I left my gynecology practice after that,'' she says.

Phulia, Sumitra says, mistreated the karmacharis at the rest house for allowing the Chief Minister's daughter to stay there in January. They went on a strike and the city magistrate who is also the state officer of Haryana Urban Development Authority had to apologise. ``This is a conspiracy against me because I'm Bansi Lal's daughter. However, I did not break any rules because as the Chief Minister's daughter I'm authorised to stay here,'' says Sumitra, who has not been on good terms with her father.

But the fight between the two women did not end there and both of them seemed to know the next round was coming. When the election observers came for the Adampur by-elections this time, Phulia says she did not want to take any chances.

`On May 20, Sumitra's 14-year-old daughter, Kopal, went to the Rest House to celebrate her birthday with her friends without obtaining permission from the authorities. The party was in full swing in the drawing room of the Rest House when Renu along with tehsildar Lal Banarrived and told them to leave the premises as observers for the bye-elections were staying there. The children informed Sumitra, who rushed to the spot.

Sumitra who was granted bail today said at a press conference at the Civil Hospital where she is being treated for ``high blood pressure and nausea'', that there were no election observers at the Rest House. `