Political families to the fore in Haryana assembly elections
CHANDIGARH: About a dozen kith and kin of political clans are in the poll fray from different parties in these assembly elections in Haryana. While five members of the divided family of late Deputy Prime Minister Devi Lal's are contesting these polls from different political parties, three of former chief minister Bansi Lal’s family and two of former chief minister Bhajan Lal’s family are testing the political waters this time.
The highest number of family members in the fray in these assembly elections are of Late Deputy Prime Minister Devi Lal's family. His son Ranjit Singh is contesting as an Independent from the Rania assembly seat after resigning from the congress, Lal’s grandson and son of former CM OP Chautala, Abhay Singh Chautala is contesting for the third time from Ellenabad of Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) ticket. Meanwhile, his great-grandson Dushyant Chautala who had floated the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) some time back is fighting the elections from the Uchana Kalan assembly segment and will and once again take on Prem Lata the sitting MLA of BJP who is mother of Member of Parliament from Hisar Brijendra Singh and wife of former Union steel minister Chaudhary Birender Singh.
Meanwhile, the ruling BJP had fielded Devi Lal’s grandson Aditya Chautala (who is the son of Jagdish youngest son of Devi Lal) from Dabwali assembly segment the Chautala clan's bastion. Thus Dushyant's mother and Dabwali MLA Naina Chautala has been shifted to the Badhra constituency in Charkhi Dadri district where she will take on Ranbir Mahendra of Congress who is the son of former chief minister Bansi Lal and also the former president of BCCI. If Naina contested from Dabwali, she would have locked horns with Aditya thus the JJP's move to shift her appears to have been taken to avoid a split in votes.
The two other members of former CM Bansi Lal’s family who are contesting are three-time sitting MLA from Tosham seat his daughter-in-law Kiran Choudhary (wife of his late son Surender Singh) of Congress. Both Kiran and Mahendra don’t see eye to eye. Another family member is former MLA Somvir Singh Sheoran his son-in-law who is contesting from Loharu.
Also, both the sons of former late chief minister Bhajan Lal have been given tickets by the congress, as sitting MLA Kulldeep Bishnoi has been re-nominated from Adampur and his elder brother and former Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Chander Mohan given ticket from Panchkula.
Also, saffron party candidate Dura Ram from Fatehabad is a distant relative of Bhajan Lal family and Congress candidate from Dabwali seat Amit Sihag is distantly related to the Chautala’s.
For the last three decades, these three Lals in the state who had been arch-rivals in politics have dominated the electoral arena and their clout still sway votes.