CHANDIGARH: The dynastic politics remains strong in Haryana as over three dozen candidates across party lines, BJP, Congress, Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) are contesting elections in the upcoming assembly polls. Besides, the three prominent political families of the ‘Jat Land’ — Chaudahry Devi Lal, Bansi Lal and Bhajan Lal — there are other candidates who owe their standing to their influential political families.
The ruling BJP, known for anti-dynasty rhetoric, is fielding kin of many political leaders. Arti Singh Rao, daughter of Union minister Rao Inderjit Singh, from Ateli; Pardeep Singh Sangwan, son of former MP Kishen Singh Sangwan, is fighting from Baroda; Devender Kaushik, brother of former MP Ramesh Kaushik, is contesting from Gannaur; Sunil Sangwan, son of former minister Satpal Sangwan, is contesting from Dadri; Manmohan Bhadana, son of former minister Kartar Bhadana, is contesting from Samalkha; Sanjay Singh, son of former minister Suraj Pal, is contesting from Nuh; Krishan Middha, son of former MLA Hari Chand Middha, is contesting from Jind and Savitri Jindal, mother of Kurukshetra MP Naveen Jindal is contesting from Hisar seat as an independent candidate against party candidate.
The story is the same for Congress. Aditya Surjewala, son of senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Randeep Surjewala, is contesting from Kaithal; Vikas Saharan, son of Hisar MP Jai Prakash, is battling out from Kalayat; Pooja Chaudhary, wife of Ambala MP Varun Chaudhary, is vying for Mullana seat; Brijendra Singh, son of former Union minister Birender Singh, is contesting Uchana Kalan assembly seat; Chiranjeev Rao, son of former minister Capt Ajay Singh Yadav, is competing from Rewari; Mandeep Chatha, son of former minister Harmohinder Singh Chatha, is standing as a challenger from Pehowa; Vijay Pratap Singh, son of former minister Mahender Pratap, is contesting from Badkhal; Balram Dangi, son of former minister Anand Singh Dangi, is contesting for Meham seat; Neeraj Sharma, son of former minister Shiv Charan Lal Sharma, is trying his luck from Faridabad NIT seat; Gokul Setia, grandson of former minister Lachhman Das Arora, is contesting from Sirsa.
While in the Indian National Lok Dal, Sapna Barshami, daughter-in-law of Sher Singh Barshami, a close aide of former Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala, is contesting from Ladwa; Tahir Hussain, son of former MLA Zakir Hussain, is contesting from Nuh.
Some seven family members of former deputy prime minister Devi Lal are fighting these elections and some of them are pitched against each other. Arjun Chautala, great-grandson of former deputy prime minister Devi Lal and son of Abhay Chautala, is fighting on the INLD ticket and is pitted against former chief minister OP Chutala’s brother Ranjit Singh Chautala, who is sitting MLA from Rania assembly segment and is fighting as independent. Digvijay Chautala of JJP, another great-grandson of Devi Lal and son of Ajay Chautala, is contesting against his uncles Aditya Devi Lal from INLD and Amit Sihag of Congress.
Khattar’s nephew joins Congress
Ramit Khattar, nephew of former Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar, and another senior leader of the party Gurvinder Singh Dhamija joined the Congress. Ramit joined the grand old party in the presence of Rohtak MLA Bharat Bhushan Batra. His defection is seen as a notable setback to the saffron party especially given his familial ties to Khattar.