Hisar, March 29 (IANS) Haryana's Hisar Lok Sabha seat has a peculiar issue. Every time a big name from former chief minister Bhajan Lal's family contests an election here, they have to fight not only the main opponents. They have to slug it out with namesakes in the fray.
Sitting MP from Hisar and Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC) president Kuldeep Bishnoi is facing seven 'Kuldeep' namesakes in the April 10 Lok Sabha polls this time.
Among the 41 candidates in the fray for this seat, there are eight candidates who have the first name 'Kuldeep'. Bishnoi is the only one from a mainline political party while six others are independents. One more 'Kuldeep' is from a less known political outfit.
"There is a definite mischief done every time when someone from Bhajan Lal's family contests from here. Still they manage to win by good margins," Devinder Pal, a supporter of Bishnoi and his HJC, told IANS.
Facing namesakes is nothing new for Bishnoi. In the by-election to the Hisar Lok Sabha seat in October 2011, Bishnoi had to face four namesakes. In the tough face-off in the bypoll with the Indian National Lok Dal leader Ajay Chautala, Bishnoi won by around 6,300 votes.
Aam Aadmi Party candidate and former bureaucrat Yudhbir Singh Khayalia too has a near namesake among Hisar candidates this time. There is an independent candidate called Yudhvir.
Bishnoi's father, Bhajan Lal, a stalwart of Haryana's dusty and defection-ridden politics and a three-time chief minister, had faced five namesakes in the last assembly election he contested in 2008. Bhajan Lal - more famous in the early 1980s for engineering defections to come to power in Haryana - died in June 2011.
Stakes are high for the HJC, the ruling Congress and the INLD on this seat. The AAP too has jumped into the fray this time, making the contest even more uncertain.
Bishnoi faces INLD's Dushyant Chautala, 26, the son of his last opponent in the 2011 bypoll Ajay Chautala and the great-grandson of former deputy prime minister Devi Lal. The third main candidate in the fray is former finance minister Sampat Singh of the Congress.
"In Haryana's politics, namesakes are propped up by vested interests to confuse voters on the name of one of the main candidates," said school teacher Sumant Arora.
For the Bhiwani-Mahendergarh Lok Sabha seat, BJP candidate Dharambir Singh, who deserted the Congress recently, faces three namesakes. All of them are contesting as independents.
Efforts to set up a network of 200 airports in the next 3-4 years in the country, know how many airports have been built in the Modi government so far
The Modi government at the Center is working very fast towards strengthening the country's infrastructure. During the tenure of PM Modi, the emphasis of the government has been on the expansion of air
Kartik Aryan: Did Kartik Aryan campaign for Congress Party? You will be shocked to know the truth of the viral video
The name of Karthik Aryan, who has made a special place in the hearts of people through his excellent acting skills, often remains on the lips of fans for some reason or the other. While on the one
Delhi HC asks poll panel to decide over MNS suspension
New Delhi, April 1 (IANS) The Delhi High Court Tuesday asked the Election Commission to take a decision expeditiously on a representation seeking suspension of recognition of the MNS as a
Punjab: Amritpal's accomplice Lovepreet Toofan came out of jail, raised slogans of 'Jo bole so nihal', and will now go to the Golden Temple
Lovepreet Toofan, the aide of Waris Punjab De chief Amritpal Singh, has been released. After coming out of jail, Toofan and other members of the organization raised slogans of Bole So Nihal. Now he
Delhi High Court to hear petitions against Agneepath scheme on July 20
The Delhi High Court on Tuesday said it will hear on July 20 several petitions challenging the Agneepath scheme of recruitment in the Army. The Agneepath scheme, announced on June 14, entitles youths
CBI files final report in coal block case
New Delhi, Feb 19 (IANS) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Thursday filed its final report with the statements of a witness recorded during the probe in a coal block allocation case
Why are telecom companies keen on E and V spectrum bands?
There was a call for the telecom companies to auction the E and V spectrum bands, which are the subject of controversy, like another spectrum. Last week, these companies have also informed about this
PM Modi will lay the foundation stone of semiconductor projects today, and urged the youth to participate in the program
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate in the program 'India's Teched: Chips for Developed India' today (Wednesday) through video conferencing. He will lay the foundation stone for three
Movie 83 Trailer Released: The thrill of winning the first World Cup full of emotion-action was shown, 10 lakhs watched in 2 hours, Kapil said - the story of my team
The trailer release of the film 83, based on the story of the 1983 World Cup victory, came out on Tuesday. Ranveer Singh, playing the character of Captain Kapil Dev, shared this on his Instagram. A
IPL Records: Dhawan will complete 600 fours this time, becoming the first player to do so; It is difficult to match Warner and Kohli this season
The 14th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is scheduled to begin on 9 April. The final will be played on 30 May. This time, Delhi Capitals opener Shikhar Dhawan has a chance to complete 600
