Congress presidential poll: Son, daughter-in-law, grandkid, cousin, meet leaders voting from Haryana

Unofficially, many of these delegates now see an opportunity to be considered for Assembly tickets in the 2024 polls.

Some of the 195:

* Anirudh Chaudhry, father Ranbir Mahendra: The grandson of former Haryana chief minister Bansi Lal, Chaudhry has had a long stint in the BCCI in various capacities. He was the manager of the Indian team for its tour of England in 2011, has been honorary secretary of the Haryana Cricket Association, manager of the Indian team for the ICC T20 World Cup in England in 2009, and manager of the India Under-19 team that took part in the ICC Under-19 World Cup held in New Zealand in 2010.

During Chaudhry’s term, questions were raised on the expenditure of the offices held by him and the implementation of recommendations by a panel. Chaudhry maintained he was targeted because he was the one raising questions.

Anirudh’s father Ranbir Mahendra has contested from Badhra constituency in Haryana earlier. A lawyer-turned-sports administrator-turned politician, he has had a long association with the Congress.

Of the three Lal political dynasties of Haryana, Bansi Lal’s is the most shrunken. The most prominent now is daughter-in-law Kiran Chaudhry who, incidentally, had complained to the high command about rivals Bhupinder Singh Hooda and aide Udai Bhan stuffing the delegate list with their people.

* Sudhir Choudhry: A close relative of Haryana PCC president Udai Bhan, Choudhry is a B.Tech who runs a factory manufacturing plastic parts for automobiles in Manesar, near Delhi. Defending his inclusion in the delegate list, Choudhry told The Indian Express: “I have been in several positions in the Congress since 2008. I worked as a Returning Officer for the party’s Assembly as well as Lok Sabha polls, Zonal Returning Officer and also Pradesh Returning Officer. I have worked in Delhi, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh as Pradesh Returning Officer for the Youth Congress. I have also been in the AICC and worked as an APRO (Additional Pradesh Returning Officer) for PCC delegates in East Uttar Pradesh in 2015. Then I became an AICC member and am the vice-chairman of the SC wing of the Haryana Congress.”

* Sudeep Surjewala: The cousin of Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Randeep Surjewala, Sudeep is a farmer in Kaithal. While calling Sudeep “basically a farmer, who owns over 60-70 acres of land in Kaithal and nearby areas”, a close aide of Surjewala said: “Sudeep is the one who handles all the party affairs for Randeep Surjewala in Kaithal and neighbouring Assembly constituencies.”

* Chanakya Sharma, father Kuldeep Sharma: A former Haryana Assembly Speaker, Kuldeep has for long been trying to launch Chanakya into politics. In the 2019 Assembly polls, he even pitched Chanakya as a candidate against Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar from Karnal. For 2024, Chanakya is considered almost sure to get a ticket.Chanakya told The Indian Express that he is a practising lawyer at the Punjab and Haryana High Court and District and Sessions Courts across Haryana. “But while on weekdays I am in Chandigarh, from Friday till Sunday, I stay in the constituencies of Karnal and Gannaur. It (politics) is not new to me. I have been helping the people, listening to their grievances and trying to help them in whichever way I can for a long time.”

* Shelly Chaudhary, husband Ram Kishan Gujjar: The first woman MLA from Naraingarh, Chaudhary got the ticket after her in-laws had held the seat for 13 elections, since 1966. Of these 13 times, her father-in-law the late Lal Singh won on seven occasions, and her husband Ram Kishan Gujjar twice.