It is family that matters as dynasts enter Haryana battleground

Chandigarh: In Haryana, it is the family that matters, with dynasts from politically influential backgrounds entering the contest for Assembly polls to reap electoral dividends.

While kin of Haryana's three famous 'Lals' are in the race, with some even taking on each other, there are a few more from other prominent political families whose entry has made the electoral battle interesting.

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 '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.

While political parties, including the Congress, BJP, Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) have fielded candidates belonging to these three political families, there are a few more from other political families who have been given tickets.

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.

The Tosham Assembly seat in the Bhiwani district is witnessing a clash between two grandchildren of Bansi Lal.

Anirudh Chaudhry, a former treasurer of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), is the grandson of Bansi Lal and is crossing 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 Surender Singh, while Anirudh Chaudhry is the son of Ranbir Singh Mahendra. Mahendra, a former BCCI president, and Surender Singh were brothers.

The Tosham Assembly seat was represented by Kiran Choudhry, but she quit as an MLA last month after which the BJP nominated her for the Rajya Sabha by-poll from Haryana, which she won unopposed.

Not just Tosham, the contest has become keen in Sirsa district's Dabwali seat too, a seat currently held by the Congress.

Devi Lal's grandson and sitting INLD MLA Abhay Singh Chautala, whose party is contesting elections in alliance with the BSP, is seeking re-election from the Ellenabad seat in the Sirsa district while 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 the son of Jagdish, the youngest son of Devi Lal, quit the BJP and joined the INLD on Sunday and was fielded from Dabwali.

Digvijay Singh Chautala is JJP leader and former deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala's brother. The JJP, 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).

JJP's Digvijay Chautala said he is confident that he will win the seat with a big margin.

From Hisar district's Adampur segment, the BJP has fielded former chief minister Bhajan Lal's grandson Bhavya Bishnoi.

Bhavya is at present the sitting MLA from Adampur. His father Kuldeep Bishnoi, a senior BJP leader, said despite a short period after Bhavya won the Adampur seat in the by-poll two years ago, he has brought several developmental projects for the constituency.

Kuldeep Bishnoi's brother Chander Mohan, a Congress leader, is contesting from the Panchkula constituency.

Dura Ram, a nephew of former chief minister Bhajan Lal, a BJP leader, is seeking re-election from the Fatehabad seat.

From the Rania seat in Sirsa, interesting contest appears on the cards after Ranjit Singh Chautala, former minister Devi Lal's son, quit the BJP recently after being denied ticket and has entered the fray as an independent candidate.

The INLD has fielded Devi Lal's great grandson Arjun Chautala from Rania. Arjun is the son of senior INLD leader Abhay Singh Chautala.

Arjun Chautala said, "I have full belief that the 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 candidate, but I think it is not going to matter much." Sunaina Chautala (47), wife of Abhay Singh Chautala's cousin Ravi Chautala, is contesting from the Fatehabad seat as an INLD candidate.

In Jind district's Uchana Kalan, former deputy chief minister and JJP leader Dushyant Chautala is taking on Congress' Brijendra Singh.

Earlier this year, bureaucrat-turned-politician Brijendra and his father and former Union minister Birender Singh left the BJP and joined the Congress.

Birender Singh is the maternal grandson of Sir Chhotu Ram, who was considered a messiah of farmers.

From Garhi Sampla-Kiloi in Rohtak, the Hooda family's stronghold, the Congress has fielded its veteran leader and former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

Hooda's grandfather Chaudhary Matu Ram was a freedom fighter and social reformer.

Hooda's father Ranbir Singh, a freedom fighter and Congress veteran, had also served as a minister in undivided Punjab and then in the Haryana government.

Another prominent political family's kin who has entered the fray -- from Ateli in Mahendragarh as a BJP nominee -- is Arti Rao, whose father Rao Inderjit Singh is a senior leader of the party.

A descendant of Ahir leader Rao Tula Ram, Rao Inderjit Singh, the son of former Haryana chief minister Rao Birender Singh, is an MP from Gurugram and a Minister of State in the Narendra Modi government at the Centre.

Senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala's son Aditya Surjewala has entered the contest as party nominee from Kaithal.

Aditya is the grandson of Congress' Shamsher Singh Surjewala, who represented Kaithal multiple times in the Assembly. Randeep has also been an MLA from the Kaithal constituency.

From Rewari, Congress' sitting MLA Chiranjeev Rao, is the son of party's veteran leader Captain Ajay Singh Yadav.