Shruti Choudhry and Anirudh Chaudhry’s grandfather, Bansi Lal, served as Haryana Chief Minister thrice and held key Union portfolios.
Haryana assembly elections witnessed several contests where two members of the same family went up against each other. One of the most high-profile of such contests was on the Tosham seat, where BJP’s Shruti Choudhry defeated her cousin Anirudh Chaudhry.
BJP’s Shruti Choudhry’s political career
Shruti Choudhry is the daughter of BJP leader Kiran Choudhry and Bansi Lal’s son Surender Singh, while Anirudh Chaudhry is the son of Ranbir Singh Mahendra. Mahendra, a former BCCI president, and Surender Singh were brothers.
Their grandfather Bansi Lal served as Haryana Chief Minister thrice and also held key Union portfolios, including defence and railways, in the Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi governments respectively.
Shruti Choudhry entered politics after her father died in 2005. She was with the Congress from 2005 to 2024 and represented the Bhiwani constituency from 2009 to 2014. In June 2024, she and her mother, Kiran Choudhry, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) due to growing differences with Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda.
The Tosham Assembly seat was previously represented by Kiran Choudhry, but she quit as an MLA last month, after which the BJP nominated her for the Rajya Sabha by-poll from Haryana, which she won unopposed.
She expressed confidence that her daughter would win the “battle of the cousins” in the family stronghold Tosham in the October 5 elections for the 90-member Haryana assembly.
Choudhry, who also belongs to the Jat community, accused her former party of spreading falsehoods during the Lok Sabha polls, alleging that the Congress spread rumors that the BJP would scrap the Constitution and end reservation if it returned to power with an overwhelming majority.
Anirudh Chaudhry’s political and sports administration career
Anirudh Chaudhry, the former treasurer of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), is also the grandson of Bansi Lal. He held several other positions as a sports administrator, including honorary secretary of the Haryana Cricket Association and manager of the Indian team for the ICC T20 World Cup in England in 2009.
During his tenure as BCCI treasurer, Anirudh Chaudhry faced several controversies, including criticism for maintaining three offices, one of which was a 5-star hotel suite. He also faced allegations of resisting the implementation of the Lodha reforms. However, he has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
Tosham assembly constituency
The Tosham constituency is one of the 90 Vidhan Sabha (State Assembly) seats in the northern state of Haryana, which voted on October 5. It is part of the Bhiwani district and covers the entire Tosham tehsil and part of Bhiwani tehsil.
The Tosham constituency is a general seat, not reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), or Other Backward Castes (OBCs). The seat had been held by Congress’s Kiran Choudhry since 2010.
Located at the foothills of the Tosham hill range, which is part of the Aravalli mountain range, Tosham is also recognized as a Gram Panchayat and was awarded the title of Adarsh Gaon (Model Village).
As per data from the 2019 Assembly Elections, the Tosham constituency had an electorate base of 2,09,063.
Historical Background of the Candidates
Both Shruti Choudhry and Anirudh Chaudhry hail from a political dynasty rooted in Haryana politics. Their grandfather, Bansi Lal, was one of the most influential political figures in the state, known for his modernization initiatives and efforts to strengthen Haryana’s infrastructure. During his tenure, he was credited with improving roads and transport networks, which laid the foundation for Haryana’s industrial growth. He was also considered a close confidant of both Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, holding significant roles in their governments.
Bansi Lal’s political acumen greatly influenced his descendants. Shruti Choudhry, after the untimely death of her father Surender Singh, took up the mantle of leadership, representing the family’s political legacy in Bhiwani. She served as a Member of Parliament from 2009 to 2014, and although she suffered setbacks in her political journey, her recent victory in the BJP reflects her resilience.
On the other hand, Anirudh Chaudhry carved out his own career in the world of sports administration. His leadership within the BCCI saw him rise to a prominent position in Indian cricket, although it came with its share of controversies. His association with high-profile roles like managing India’s cricket team during the 2009 T20 World Cup and his tenure as treasurer of the BCCI kept him in the public eye, both positively and critically.
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The rivalry between the cousins in Tosham is not just political but reflects a deeper competition within this political dynasty, a contest that has now reshaped the political landscape of the family and Haryana at large.
