Haryana’s Dalit and Non-Jat Powers Vie for Influence Amid Absence of Jat Stalwarts

The political scene in Haryana has been dominated by four prominent families: Devi Lal, Bhajan Lal, Bansi Lal, and the Hoodas. However, this time, the descendants of Bansi Lal and Bhajan Lal have been sidelined. The Devi Lal family has a strong presence, with three members contesting the Hisar seat. Deepender Singh Hooda, son of former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, is running from Rohtak. Shruti Choudhary, granddaughter of Bansi Lal, was denied a ticket from the Bhiwani-Mahendragarh seat. Kuldeep Bishnoi and his son Bhavya Bishnoi, sons of Bhajan Lal, are also not contesting on BJP tickets this time.

Ever since Haryana was carved out as a separate state way back in 1966, its politics has revolved around four prominent political families — Devi Lal, Bhajan Lal, Bansi Lal and the Hoodas.

Earlier, Haryana’s three famous ‘Lals’ — Devi Lal, Bansi Lal and Bhajan Lal — ruled the state by turn for decades. Before the BJP came to power on its own strength in 2014, it was the Hooda family which called the shots.

The kin of the two famous Lals — former chief ministers Bansi Lal and Bhajan Lal — who over the years had been entering the fray during the parliamentary polls, have this time been sidelined and have not got the ticket from their respective parties.

However, four members of the family of former deputy prime minister Devi Lal, popularly known as ‘Tau’ Devi Lal, have entered the contest from the Hisar and Kurukshetra seats.

Interestingly, three members of the Devi Lal family — Lal’s son Ranjit Singh Chautala, an Independent MLA who switched over to the BJP recently; JJP MLA Naina Chautala (57), 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 — are contesting against each other from the Hisar parliamentary seat. Ravi is the son of Devi Lal’s son late Partap Singh Chautala.

INLD leader Abhay Singh Chautala is contesting from the Kurukshetra seat. However, Shruti Choudhary, grand daughter of former chief minister Bansi Lal, has been denied the Congress ticket from the Bhiwani-Mahendragarh seat.

The ruling BJP too did not consider fielding Kuldeep Bishnoi or his son Bhavya Bishnoi from the Hisar seat. Kuldeep is former chief minister Bhajan Lal’s younger son. The Congress has fielded sitting MLA Rao Dan Singh from Bhiwani-Mahendragarh while the BJP went with Ranjit Singh Chautala from Hisar.

Shruti Choudhry was elected MP from Bhiwani-Mahendergarh in 2009, but BJP’s Dharambir Singh defeated her in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Earlier, her late father Surender Singh and grandfather Bansi Lal held the Bhiwani seat on multiple occasions.

In 2009, Bhajan Lal was elected from Hisar as a candidate of his own outfit Haryana Janhit Congress (BL). After his demise, his son Kuldeep Bishnoi won the seat in the 2011 bypolls.

In 2019, Kuldeep’s son Bhavya Bishnoi unsuccessfully contested the Hisar seat when he was in the Congress. He was defeated by former Union minister Birender Singh’s son, a bureaucrat-turned-politician Brijendra, a BJP candidate.

Now, Kuldeep and Bhavya are in the BJP while Birender Singh and Brijendra Singh left the BJP recently to join the Congress.

From Rohtak, former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s son Deepender Singh Hooda, at present a Rajya Sabha MP, has entered the contest from the family stronghold.

Deepender is a three-time former MP from Rohtak and in 2019 he lost to BJP’s Arvind Sharma, against whom he is pitted again this time.

A few days ago, when Kuldeep Bishnoi was asked by reporters that his supporters were upset after the BJP did not consider him as a candidate from Hisar, he had quipped, ”The workers have feelings… when any leader does not get a ticket, it is the human nature that they are disappointed. But that does not turn into opposition.

”Through you (media), I appeal to all the workers that now is the time to work hard and strengthen the hands of Prime Minister Modi. We have to again form the BJP government at the Centre,” Bishnoi had said.

Reacting to the Congress denying her ticket from Bhiwani-Mahendragarh, Shruti Choudhary said, ”I got a chance in 2009 and I worked with honesty and dedication for the area. As an opposition member, I continued to raise the issues of my people… earlier this constituency (Bhiwani) was nurtured by my grandfather and my father.” On not getting the ticket this time, she said the party’s decision has to be accepted.

”I want to tell my workers not to be disappointed,” she said. Congress leaders Shruti Choudhary and Kiran Choudhary also said they accept the party’s decision. Polling for all the 10 seats in Haryana will be held in the sixth of the seven-phase elections on May 25.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Courtesy : Devdiscourse

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