A grandson and a wife vie for seat that would elect CM

Dushyant is one of three Chautalas contesting in Haryana, alongside mother Naina and uncle Abhay.

Dushyant Chautala is visiting Uchana Kalan for the first time since he became the MP from Hisar, the parent Lok Sabha constituency. He is cautiously optimistic about becoming an MLA. “I got my highest lead, 52,850 votes, from this assembly segment. Then I had against me HJC chief Kuldeep Bishnoi, who had fallen in stature and was easy prey,” he says. “An assembly election is different, but we will win with a comfortable margin, if not with 50,000.”

Asked why an MP should be seeking to enter the assembly, he says, “This seat will decide the chief minister. God willing, my grandfather (O P Chautala) will get relief from the court and take over after the election. I am retaining this seat for him.”

And what if Chautala does not get relief? “Even then, this seat will decide the chief minister.” When he announces that at the Brahmin chaupal, the crowd cheers, “Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala zindabad”. And a supporter whispers, “He will be the youngest chief minister at age 26 plus.”

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He is up against another candidate seeking to win the seat on behalf of a potential chief minister. From the front seat of her SUV, Prem Lata calls out to the small crowd at Chhatar, Uchana Kalan. “Don’t forget, you are voting for Chaudhary saab.” Uchana Kalan is the home constituency of her husband, Birender Singh, who broke away from the Congress after 42 years to join the BJP.

“Chaudhary saab has always stood by you and this is a crucial election. We have a new flag, a new beginning with Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is the hope of every person in the country,” she tells the small crowd.

When he joined the BJP, Birender’s supporters were hoping he would be its chief ministerial candidate. The BJP didn’t even field him. “It is wrong to say Birender Singhji has been sidelined,” Prem Lata tells The Indian Express. “My husband is a chief ministerial candidate and if such a situation emerges after the election, I will happily vacate the seat for him. This is the seat that always looks at the chief minister’s chair because of its candidates.”

In the last election, O P Chautala defeated her husband by 600-odd votes. “In that election, people were fed up with the Congress and were not sure about the alternative,” says Prem Lata. “Now they have the alternative. Dushyant is representing a leader who is in jail on corruption charges.”

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Dushyant’s popularity is on display at Kakrod, where villagers pose with him for a camera crew. He promises to send copies to all. “I may bid for the Guinness record for the most photos.”

Dushyant is one of three Chautalas contesting in Haryana, alongside mother Naina and uncle Abhay. “Show me one big leader who has not promoted his family,” he replies to a question. “Even here, I am pitched against the wife of a veteran.”

He adds, “People feel secure with our family. My father and I won from Hisar, my grandfather won from Narwana and Uchana, and now I am contesting from Uchana. Ours is the only family that is accepted statewide.”