Chautala grandson vs Birender wife among family battles

The INLD says Chautala will be sworn in as chief minister in jail if it wins. His grandson Dushyant, who is contesting from Uchana Kalan, is an MP after having defeated Kuldeep Bishnoi. Ajay’s wife Naina is defending his seat of Dabwali. “We will secure the public mandate and crown my grandfather as chief minister,” said Dushyant.

The Congress has fielded the sons of former state Congress chief Phool Chand Mullana and Harmohinder Singh Chatha. From Bansi Lal’s family are Kiran Chaudhry, Ranbir Mahendra and Som Veer. Former minister Lachchman Das Arora’s daughter Sunita Setia will challenge Gopal Kanda in Sirsa. The HJC’s key candidates include Bishnoi, his brother Chander Mohan, wife Renuka Bishnoi and cousin Dura Ram.

Congress

The Congress list also has two members of the Chautala family, his brother Ranjit Singh and K V Singh. State Congress chief Ashok Tanwar had objected to these as well as other candidates, but Chief Minister B S Hooda’s will prevailed.  Hooda, who will contest from Garhi Sampla Kiloi, is confident, “The state had not progressed as much in the last more than 50 years as it has done in the last 10 years of Congress rule. There is no doubt that we will form the government for a third time.”

Chasing that ambition will be many ministers recontesting their seats, such as Randeep Singh Surjewala, Captain Ajay Singh Yadav, Geeta Bhukkal, Savitri Jindal, Mahender Pratap and Aftab Ahmed. Minister Shiv Charan Das Sharma has missed out, while Speaker Kuldeep Sharma has been fielded from Gannaur. Ajay Singh Yadav’s son didn’t get a ticket. The only Hooda-backed candidate to lose out was former union minister Jai Prakash, who then quit the Congress.

BJP

The BJP has never won more than five assembly seats in elections it fought by itself, but won seven of eight seats contested in the Lok Sabha. It ditched Bishnoi after he lost. “How could have we bet on a lame horse? He could not protect his own seat, and had the cheek to demand the CM’s chair,” says Anil Vij, leader of the BJP legislature party.

Bishnoi has tied up with the Jan Chetna Party of breakaway Congress leader Venod Sharma, once close to Hooda. Bishnoi’s party is contesting 65 seats and Sharma’s 25.