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Ever since Haryana was carved out as a separate state way back in 1966, its politics has revolved for about three decades around the three famous ‘Lals’ — Devi Lal, popularly known as “Tau” Devi Lal, Bhajan Lal and Bansi Lal — all of whom have served as the state’s chief ministers. Devi Lal also served as the country’s deputy prime minister.
For the elections next month, several from these prominent political families have been fielded by the Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and Jannayak Janta Party (JJP).
The 90-member Haryana Assembly is scheduled to go to polls on October 5 and the counting of votes will be undertaken on October 8.
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Anirudh Chaudhry, a former treasurer of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), is the grandson of Bansi Lal and will cross swords with his cousin and former MP Shruti Choudhry — the BJP candidate.
Shruti Choudhry is the daughter of BJP leader Kiran Choudhry and Bansi Lal’s son late Surender Singh while Anirudh Chaudhry is the son of Ranbir Singh Mahendra. Mahendra, a former BCCI president, and Surender Singh were brothers.
Tosham assembly segment was represented by Kiran Choudhry, but she quit as MLA last month after which the BJP nominated her for the Rajya Sabha bypoll from Haryana, which she won unopposed.
Not just Tosham, the contest has become keen from Dabwali seat in Sirsa district too, a seat currently held by the Congress.
From Dabwali, Devi Lal’s grandson Aditya Devi Lal, an INLD candidate, is taking on JJP’s Digvijay Singh Chautala, great-grandson of the former deputy prime minister.
Aditya Devi Lal, who is son of Jagdish, youngest son of Devi Lal, quit the BJP and joined the INLD on Sunday and was fielded from Dabwali.
Before joining the Indian National Lok Dal, which is contesting the Haryana polls in alliance with the BSP, Aditya took the blessings of his uncle and former chief minister Om Prakash Chautala at the latter’s Sirsa residence.
Digvijay Singh Chautala is JJP leader and former deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala’s brother. JJP, which is headed by Dushyant and Digvijay’s father and former MP Ajay Singh Chautala, is contesting the polls in alliance with Chandra Shekhar Azad-led Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram).
From Adampur segment in Hisar district, BJP has fielded former chief minister late Bhajan Lal’s grandson Bhavya Bishnoi.
Bhavya is at present the sitting MLA from Adampur. His father Kuldeep Bishnoi is a senior BJP leader.
From Rania seat in Sirsa district, interesting contest appears on cards after Ranjit Singh Chautala, son of former Devi Lal, who was Energy and Jails Minister, quit the BJP after being denied ticket recently and had said he will enter the fray as an Independent.
INLD has fielded Devi Lal’s great grandson Arjun Chautala from Rania, also in Sirsa district. Arjun’s father is INLD senior leader Abhay Singh Chautala.
About JJP, Aditya Devi Lal told reporter, “The party used to tell people that this (Sirsa region) is their ‘janam bhoomi’ and ‘karam bhoomi’, but sometimes they head to Uchana (from where Dushyant is fighting), sometimes Bhiwani (from where Ajay Chautala has remained a MP), sometimes Dabwali. But people are wise, they know…”
After he joined INLD, Abhay Chautala urged a gathering in Chautala village to “give Aditya so much support that those who are pitted against him, before they file their nominations, they should be forced to think what fate awaits them in the electoral battle”.
However, JJP’s Digvijay Chautala is confident that he will win the Dabwali seat with a “big vote margin”.
Arjun Chautala, meanwhile, said, “I have full belief that people of Rania will give their blessings and make our party victorious.” On Ranjit Chautala, Arjun said, “He has decided to contest as an Independent, but I think it is not going to matter much.”
Earlier in this year’s Lok Sabha polls, three members of the Devi Lal family — Lal’s son Ranjit Singh Chautala, an Independent MLA who had switched over to the BJP shortly before LS polls; JJP MLA Naina Chautala, who is wife of JJP chief and Devi Lal’s grandson Ajay Singh Chautala; and Sunaina Chautala (47), wife of INLD leader Abhay Singh Chautala’s cousin Ravi Chautala — had contested against each other from the Hisar parliamentary seat.
However, they could not taste victory as the Hisar seat was won by Congress candidate.
INLD leader Abhay Singh Chautala had also entered the fray from the Kurukshetra parliamentary seat, which was won by BJP’s Naveen Jindal.