While several “sons” contesting election in India is a normal political routine, the battle has now moved into the third and fourth generations, with grandchildren and great-grandchildren having joined the race for political power.
For a long time, Haryana’s politics was identified with three ‘Lals’; Devi Lal, Bansi Lal and Bhajan Lal. The legacy has been bequeathed to the third and fourth generations now.
There are at least 'seven’ grand or great-grand kids trying their luck in Haryana assembly elections this time. They include three great-grandchildren of former Deputy Prime Minister and Haryana Chief Minister Devi Lal, two grandchildren of former Chief Minister Bansi Lal, one grandson of another former
Chief Minister Bhajan Lal and a grandson of former Haryana Congress president and a minister, Shamsher Singh Surjewala.
There are several other second-generation candidates as well, who are trying their luck in these elections from the mainstream parties. Rough estimates suggest that at least fifty percent of candidates contesting in these elections, irrespective of the parties, have some family link and are not the first generation contestants, thus making it difficult for the “outsiders” to get into the ring.
Among all the grand and great-grandkids, it is Aditya Surjewala, who is facing a tough fight. He is the son of Randeep Singh Surjewala former Indian Youth
Congress president and sitting Rajya Sabha MP and grandson of former Haryana Congress president and a former Minister Shamsher Singh Surjewala.
Aditya is fighting from Kaithal, which his father lost narrowly by a margin of about 1200 voters to veteran BJP leader Leela Ram in 2019. Since Surjewala was not allowed to contest this time as he is a sitting Rajya Sabha MP, he fielded his 25 year old Canada educated son, Aditya from here. While BJP’s Leela Ram is a tough challenger already, ‘Surjewalas’ are apprehensive of “sabotage from within” the party since Randeep is an aspirant for Chief Ministership and a challenger to Hooda’s leadership.
The second interesting battle is in Tosham, where it is the two grandchildren of Bansi Lal, who are fighting to win the family bastion from different parties. Anirudh Chaudhary a son of Ranbir Mahindra is contesting on a Congress ticket against his cousin, Shruti Chaudhary, daughter of late Surender Singh, who died in a plane crash in 2005.
Shruti is contesting on a BJP ticket, after she along with her mother Kiran Chaudhary joined the BJP just before the assembly elections. Tosham has remained with Bansi Lal’s family since 1967, even when he parted ways with the Congress and formed his own Haryana Vikas Party, which formed a government in 1996 in alliance with the BJP. Irrespective of who wins from here, Tosham will continue to remain with the family, as one of the cousins winning the seat is a foregone conclusion.
Then there is Bhavya Bishnoi, son of Kuldeep Bishnoi and grandson of Bhajan Lal, who is trying his luck from Mandi Adampur, a family bastion, since 1968 when Bhajan Lal won it for the first time. Five members of the family have won from here continuously. Bhajan Lal, his wife Jasma Devi, son Kuldeep Bishnoi, his wife Renuka Bishnoi and son Bhavya Bishnoi have fought and won from here on different occasions. Bhavya is again placed in a comfortable position here.
Three of the great-grandsons of Devi Lal and grandsons of Om Prakash Chautala are also contesting this time. Two of Devi Lal’s great-grandsons Dushyant Chautala and Digvijay Chautala, both sons of Ajay Chautala are contesting from Uchana and Dabwali constituencies respectively on Jannayak Janta Party ticket, a party they formed after parting ways with their grandfather Om Prakash Chautala and uncle Abhay Chautala, who retained the control over the family-controlled party, Indian National Lok Dal.
Their cousin, Arjun Chautala is contesting from Rania on the Indian National Lok Dal ticket. Interestingly, Arjun is pitched against his granduncle Ranjeet Singh, the younger brother of Om Prakash Chautala. Ranjeet, though in the BJP, is contesting asr an independent candidate as he could not get the BJP ticket.
Besides these grand and great-grandchildren of three Lals, there are several sons, spouses and siblings of prominent political leaders who are also contesting the elections. As already mentioned, it is the “political ancestors with hereditary lineage and claims”, that guarantee a better chance of party nomination, thus making it very difficult for the newcomers and first-generation aspirants to get inside the “fighting ring”. It remains mostly a “closed-door” affair.
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