Lok Sabha elections 2019: In the name of family

Most political parties in Haryana, which will go to

polls

on May 12, have released lists of their candidates for the 10

Lok Sabha seats

. Interestingly, a large number of veteran politicians across party affiliations have managed to get tickets for their “sons and daughters” this time.


The candidates for eight of 10

Lok Sabha

seats in Haryana are children and, in some cases grandchildren, of the state’s prominent political leaders, who belong to all main political parties such as the Congress, BJP, INLD and JJP.


The Congress has fielded most candidates with family connections, but the Chautala family has most candidates in fray. Three grandsons of former Haryana CM O P Chautala are contesting — sitting MP Dushyant Chautala from Hisar and his younger brother Digvijay from Sonipat for JJP. Their cousin Arjun, who is in INLD, is fighting from Kurukshetra.

In Hisar, three main contestants have strong family political connections — Brijendra Singh of BJP is son of Union minister Birender Singh and great grandson of Sir Chhotu Ram; Dushyant Chautala of Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) is elder son of former MP Ajay Chautala; and Congress party’s Bhavya Bishnoi is son of former Hisar MP and Adampur MLA Kuldeep Bishnoi. Bhavya’s grandfather Bhajan Lal had served as three-time Haryana chief minister.

Similarly, Congress’s candidate in Rohtak, Deepender Hooda is son of former chief minister Bhupinder Hooda.

Hooda senior, son of senior Congress leader Ranbir Singh Hooda, is also contesting from Sonipat on Congress ticket. Hooda’s father was a minister in undivided Punjab.

Among female candidates, Kumari Selja, who is contesting on Congress ticket from Ambala (reserved), is daughter of senior Congress leader and former Union minister Dalbir Singh.

Shruti Choudhry, who is Congress nominee from Bhiwani-Mahendergarh seat, is granddaughter of former CM Bansi Lal and daughter of Congress leader and Tosham MLA Kiran Choudhry.

JJP candidate from Bhiwani-Mahendergarh, Swati Yadav is daughter of senior party leader Satbir Nautana, who had unsuccessfully contested 2014 assembly election from Ateli (Mahendergarh) on an INLD ticket. Nautana is district president of JJP Mahendergarh.

Union minister Rao Inderjit Singh, who is BJP candidate from Gurgaon, is son of former Haryana chief minister Rao Birender Singh. His opponent and Gurgaon’s Congress candidate, Captain Ajay Yadav is son of senior Ahir leader and former Rewari MLA Rao Abhey Singh.

Kuldeep Sharma, who has been fielded by the Congress from Karnal parliamentary seat, is son of former MP and senior veteran of Haryana’s politics Chiranji Lal Sharma.

In Haryana, there are only two seats, Faridabad and Sirsa (reserved) where no candidate from any political family is contesting. However, Congress president Ashok Tanwar, who is contesting from Sirsa, is married to Avantika Maken, niece of Congress leader Ajay Maken.