Haryana polls witness rise of several dynasts

The state of Haryana has several leaders with a legacy of their parents in politics. This election is seeing another scion rising - Deepender Singh Hooda, son of former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

Hooda Junior has been a member of the Congress Working Committee from a young age and had been elected thrice as Member of Parliament (MP) from Rohtak. His grandfather Ranbir Singh Hooda was a Congress leader and member of Constituent Assembly that drafted the Constitution.

Deepender Hooda has been drawing huge crowds while crisscrossing the state for campaigning. He recently shared the stage in Nuh with former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, where his father was conspicuous by his absence.

The former Chief Minister is giving more time in his constituency, said a party insider.

In Nuh, Deepender Hooda joked about BJP's 75 seats target and said, "BJP's 75 plus slogan means onion, tomato and petrol, all crossing Rs 75 mark. And now BJP should be thrown across the Yamuna."

Political dynasts in Haryana is not a new phenomenon with many political families active in the past and the present. One of them is the Devi Lal clan which dominated the political landscape of the state for decades.

But his family has now disintegrated. Devi Lal's son and former Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala is in jail in a corruption case. His sons have now parted ways as the elder son Ajay Chautala has floated Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) and the younger son Abhay is defacto head of the original Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) founded by Devi Lal. The other clan is Sir Chhoturam's family with Chaudhary Birender Singh claiming his legacy. He is a former minister and Rajya Sabha MP, and his wife is an MLA and contesting again as a BJP candidate. Birender's son Brijendra Singh is a former civil servant who is now a Lok Sabha MP.

Another dynast is Kuldeep Bishnoi, son of another former Chief Minister Bhajan Lal, who is contesting from Adampur. His brother and former Deputy Chief Minister Chandramohan is also in the fray from Panchkula.

Congress communications head Randeep Surjewala is also the son of Congress leader Shamsher Singh Surjewala. Former Chief Minister Bansi Lal's family is also active in politics, as his son Ranbir Singh Mahendra and daughter-in-law Kiran Chaudhary are contesting the polls. Kiran Chaudhary's daughter Shruti has also been an MP.

Last but not the least, industrialist and former minister O.P. Jindal's wife Savitri is also active while son Naveen Jindal has been an MP.

It is said that blood is thicker than water. This appears true at least in Haryana politics.