The 2024 Parliamentary elections could be different from many previous elections since it shall determine the future of many political families of this country, particularly in Punjab and Haryana. Such a phenomenon has occurred in the past as well but this time around, it is very pronounced.
Nationally, there has been speculation regarding the prospects of the Gandhi family and like earlier, it may be able to overcome the situation. This may not necessarily be true of many others who shall perhaps be contesting with their back to the wall and for their survival.
In Punjab for instance, the Shiromani Akali Dal has never been placed so precariously as it is now. The party which has waded through many difficult times, is faced with a big challenge. It is also the first time, the party is contesting a Parliamentary election without its stalwart Parkash Singh Badal, who has been the longest serving Chief Minister of the state.
It is true that his son, Sukhbir Singh Badal was doing his best to resuscitate the organization which has deep roots in rural Punjab as well as gurdwara politics. He has to some degree been able to extricate it from the mess, but there is still a long way ahead. The party after decades is also contesting an election without any alliance with the BJP, and thus it has to find new ways and means to keep itself relevant.
Leading the charge is Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Sukhbir’s wife, who is seeking to retain the Bhatinda seat for her party against all odds. The leadership decided to go it alone under pressure from the cadres, who are extremely upset over the kind of treatment meted out to the farmers by the Central government.
Captain Amarinder Singh is regarded by many as the best Chief Minister the state had since the late Pratap Singh Kairon. He was ousted from his position unceremoniously by the Congress and after being defeated from Patiala his home turf in the last Assembly elections is now with the BJP. His wife, Preneet Kaur, a four-time MP on the Congress ticket, is contesting the Parliamentary polls on the lotus symbol. This political family also shall suffer a major setback if she loses. Many of the Captain’s close friends admit that had she fought on the Congress flag, her victory would have been almost assured. But that is how politics is evolving at this juncture.
Beant Singh was the 12th Chief Minister of the state for three years when he was assassinated by a suicide bomber outside the Punjab Secretariat on 31 August 1995. His family continued to be in politics and his grandson, Ravneet Singh Bittoo, the sitting MP from Ludhiana, who was elected last time on the Congress symbol is now in the fray as a BJP nominee. He faces a tough battle and going by the anti-BJP sentiments in the border state, faces an uphill task.
Incidentally, Beant Singh was with the Congress during the peak of militancy and was the state president when the Congress under Rajiv Gandhi contested the 1989 polls, where Simranjit Singh Mann had emerged victorious as an Independent nominee from Tarn Taran, thus representing the anti-Congress wave.
In neighbouring Haryana, the Chautalas, who inherited the legacy of former Deputy Prime Minister and state Chief Minister, Chaudhury Devi Lal, are locked in a battle amongst themselves, as also against their opponents. Devi Lal’s younger son, Ranjit Singh is contesting the polls on a BJP ticket from Hisar, while the rest of the divided family is pursuing its own politics. It is sad to see how divisions within the family have wrecked its political prospects.
Bhajan Lal was the Chief Minister a multiple-times and his family is perhaps the only one, which was elected from various regions of the state in different elections. His politics revolved around mobilising the people against the powerful Jat community. He lost his last chance to be the CM again when the Jats voted for the Congress overwhelmingly in 2005, paving the way for Bhupinder Singh Hooda, to become the Chief Minister.
Bhajan Lal’s son, Kuldeep Bishnoi, who had formed his own party but had merged it with the Congress before joining the BJP, stands marginalized today. He was denied a ticket by the saffron brigade and the Congress did not make any overtures to re-admit him. He thus faces the possibility of political oblivion, unless he is able to resurrect himself in the Assembly polls that shall follow a few months later.
Chaudhury Bansi Lal was the CM in the 1970s, and was considered close to the late Sanjay Gandhi. Later the Congress had sidelined him and he with the help of the BJP returned to the position in the 1990s. His granddaughter, Shruti Chaudhury was aspiring for the Congress nomination from Bhiwani but was denied the ticket. The decision was both a fallout of the belief that her mother Kiran Chaudhury had voted against the Congress nominee in the Rajya Sabha election and because the Congress felt that Rao Dan Singh, was a better candidate. Incidentally, Bansi Lal’s other son, Ranbir Singh is understood to be backing him.
In addition, Birendra Singh and his son, from the clan of Sir Chhotu Ram, a well-known Jat leader during the British regime, will also be sitting out of the current elections. The situation is dicey for these families, and time alone shall determine whether they would survive this marginalization. Between us.