Express News Service
LUCKNOW/CHANDIGARH/MUMBAI: Politics cuts across familial ties. Ahead of Assembly polls in various states, instances have come up where members of the same family are on the opposite sides. Some of them may still live under the same roof, but when it comes to ideologies, they are far apart.
Relationships have taken a back seat in these cases. Followers of the same principles not long ago, some of them have decided to go for better opportunities. Some have been lured away by political rivals waiting for opportunities.
“Like political parties, influential political families are also divided over choices. If they find a better opportunity in other parties, they don’t think twice before moving out,” said AK Mishra, a prominent political scientist in Lucknow.
Swami Prasad Maurya (SP) & Sanghmitra Maurya (BJP)
Father and daughter. Former Yogi cabinet minister Swami Prasad left BJP to join Samajwadi Party with half a dozen BJP MLAs on January 14. He accused the party of neglecting SC and OBC communities. It left his daughter red-faced, as she is a BJP MP from Badaun and campaigning for the party through social media platforms. Swami Prasad said his decision is personal and not binding on his family members.
Aparna Yadav (BJP) & Akhilesh Yadav (SP)
Younger daughter-in-law of the Samajwadi Party patriarch, Aparna joined BJP recently defying family ideology, purportedly against the wishes of SP chief and Mulayam’s elder son Akhilesh. Moreover, other members of the Yadav clan, including Mulayam’s close confidante Hari Om Yadav and Pramod Gupta (relative of Mulayam’s second wife Sadhna Gupta) followed suit.
Imran Masood (SP) & Noman Masood (BSP)
Brothers. The traditionally Congress loyalist family has seen quite a rift. Imran, an influential leader of western UP, has joined SP after failing to stitch a Congress-SP alliance. Noman joined BSP and got a ticket to contest from his favoured Gangoh segment in Saharanpur. Noman had joined RLD during the farmers’ unrest. Both contested for Congress in 2017 and lost to BJP candidates.
Rea Shakya (BJP) & Vinay Shakya (SP)
Daughter and father. Vinay Shakya, the BJP MLA from Bidhuna, joined SP with Swami Prasad Maurya. However, his daughter got a BJP ticket from the same constituency after expressing faith in the ruling party. She even alleged that her uncle and grandmother had abducted her father to make him join SP forcibly. Vinay refuted the claim. SP is yet to name its Bidhuna candidate. It is expected that Rea will either face her father or uncle.
Ritesh Pandey (BSP) & Rakesh Pandey (SP)
Son and father. Ritesh is a BSP MP from Ambedkarnagar. His father Rakesh, a former BSP MP from the same constituency, has defected to SP. As the Pandeys are believed to have hold on Brahmin vote, Rakesh switching parties is seen as a blow to BSP chief Mayawati’s social engineering formula of stitching together Mulsim-Dalit-Brahmin votes.
Kazim Ali Khan (Cong) & Haider Ali Khan (Apna Dal S)
Father and son. The scions of the Rampur royal family in Uttar Pradesh had been loyal to Congress until January 23 when Haider joined the Anupriya Patel-led Apna Dal (S). He has got a ticket from Suar as the first Muslim candidate of NDA. Haider’s move came even after being named a Congress candidate. His father Kazim will take on Azam Khan from Rampur on a Congress ticket.
Partap Singh Bajwa (Cong) & Fateh Jung Singh Bajwa (BJP)
Brothers. Tussle between them is well known. Rajya Sabha MP Pratap wants to return to state politics and has been given a ticket from Qadian. The sitting MLA from Qadian is Fateh Jung. He has left Congress for BJP and is likely to fight polls from neighbouring Batala.
Rana Gurjeet Singh (Cong) & Rana Inder Partap Singh (Ind)
Father and son. Cabinet minister Gurjeet is the Congress candidate from Kapurthala and sitting MLA. His son Inder Partap is an Independent candidate from the neighbouring Sultanpur Lodhi against sitting MLA Navtej Cheema of Congress. The father has held rallies in favour of his son against the candidate of his party.
Pratap Singh Rane (Cong) & Divya Rane (BJP)
Father-in-law and daughter-in-law. The Poriem constituency could see a contest between the former CM and his son Vishwajit’s wife. The 83-year-old had been advised by BJP to retire from politics. He has already launched his poll campaign. Since 1972, Rane has won every assembly election. BJP has declared Divya its candidate from Poriem, while husband Vishwajit will contest from Valpoi.
