This story is from October 20, 2014

Independent poultry bizman stuns Swaraj's sister

Barely a day after her return to India from a US trip along with PM Narendra Modi, Sushma, who was, at 25, elected as the youngest MLA and minister from Ambala in 1977, had rushed back to join Vandana's poll campaign.
Independent poultry bizman stuns Swaraj's sister
CHANDIGARH: When Union external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj's sister Vandana Sharma was picked up by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as candidate from Safidon a month ago, many thought her possible win would usher in a homecoming for the saffron party's tallest woman leader.
Barely a day after her return to India from a US trip along with PM Narendra Modi, Sushma, who was, at 25, elected as the youngest MLA and minister from Ambala in 1977, had rushed back to join Vandana's poll campaign.

On Sunday, however, the family was stunned as Vandana lost to an independent candidate and Rs 400-crore poultry firm owner Jasbir Deswal in a neck-and-neck contest.
While Deswal grabbed 29,369 votes, Vandana Sharma got 27,947 in her favour.
"People need locals to get their issues of bread and butter addressed, not outsiders. I am thrilled that I beat a VIP candidate," said Deswal, the 64-year-old owner of food processing firm Skylark Group.
For Safidon, part of the Jat heartland and Khap-dominated Jind district, it was a day of flip flops.
Vandana, however, had remained on the top of the tally for a large part of the day.
In the afternoon, she was leading with a margin of 3,500 votes over the second placed Congress candidate Bachan Singh Aryaa. However, post-lunch, Deswal took a jump from fourth position to beat INLD, BJP and Congress. Sharma again surged ahead with a margin of 130 votes. However, the 12th round not only ended her slender lead, but also gave Deswal an unassailable margin of over 2,000 votes.

Many say that, being a Brahmin, the battle was always tough for Sharma. That is also why she showed no hesitation in falling back on Sushma's political career despite facing charges of nepotism behind her selection.
The family had even shifted their home from the neighbouring Narwana, where Vandana had been teaching political science at a government college for girls for the past two decades.
In Sushma's absence, her Ambala-based brother and Ayurveda doctor Gulshan routinely managed her roadshows.
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