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Haryana elections: Pension, family tradition and a dash of humour in Yadav scion's debut pitch

Rewari: In a seat that was the centre of south Haryana intrigue because of speculation about Union minister and Gurgaon MP Rao Inderjit Singh’s daughter Aarti making her electoral debut , it’s another scion who is giving the dynasty line that runs through Rewari’s polling history continuity.

Congress has named its senior leader Capt Ajay Singh Yadav’s son Chiranjeev Rao (33) as its candidate from the seat.

In his first election, Chiranjeev, who is married to former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav’s daughter, has his task cut out: the pressure of living up to his family name for one, and defending his family’s unbeaten record in the seat.

But that’s only the friendly pressure. His main rival, BJP’s Sunil Musepur will benefit from Inderjit’s clout in the region . Randhir Singh Kapariwas, the incumbent MLA who is fighting as an Independent, could end up tilting the scales. Chiranjeev will hope it’s in his favour.

On Tuesday, around 9am, he stepped out to campaign in his white SUV, followed by his party workers in a convoy.

His first stop was a public meeting in a residential colony called Shanti Nagar, which was had a modest turnout of 50. Chiranjeev’s entourage stopped just near a pandal where he was graced with a turban. “My grandfather Abhay Rao used to say that a turban is the highest form of respect one ever gets. I will always maintain the dignity of this turban,” is how he began his speech.

He briefly highlighted Congress’s manifesto and emphasised his father’s work in the area. Capt Yadav is a six-time MLA from Rewari. “Be it the hospital, the drainage system or the roads, they were all made during my father’s regime under Congress. In the last five years, BJP has done almost nothing in Rewari and have even stopped work on the medical college that my father worked so hard to get approved.”

The meeting wrapped up in around 20 minutes and the campaigners travelled to the Padiyawas anganwadi centre .

Here, the setting was more enthusiastic with a bigger audience, including women, unlike at the previous venue. Chiranjeev saw the change and was quick to adapt — his tone became more vibrant, his speech more interactive.

He asked a woman in the audience, “Bahu sewa kare se ke na” — Is your daughter-in-law taking care of you? The old woman laughed shyly and nodded no.

Rao then continued, “We have proposed a monthly pension of Rs 5,000 for the elderly. Both you and your husband will get the pension and when the money comes, your daughter in law will automatically start respecting you and taking care of you.” The audience responded with laughter.

He then went on to list the other promises made by Congress, including the loan waiver for farmers and 75% reservation for local youth in private jobs. Rao Abhay Singh and Capt Yadav found mention in his speech, as did family tradition. “My grandfather won his first election as an MLA from Rewari when he was 33, and now, I am also 33. My family has never lost a Vidhan Sabha election from this seat and I have to continue the tradition,” said Chiranjeev.

Asked about the pressure this brings on him, Chiranjeev told TOI, “I do not look at it as pressure. I am confident that we will win this seat.” In terms of his achievements, he spok about his tenure as the state Youth Congress president and asserted that he had been managing the show for his father behind the scenes for a decade now.

After around 45 minutes, he moved on to the next venue, Shahbajpur ki Dhani, where he addressed another small in a narrow alley, highlighting the same issues.

As he left for the next venue, four to five women with veils over their faces said they could vote for him. Asked why, one of them, Suman, said, “There are no jobs. Our kids work as contractual workers for four years and when it’s time to be made permanent, the companies throw them out.”

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