Politics thicker than blood, literally
Pratibha Chauhan
Tribune News Service
Shimla, October 25
Politics can divide blood relations and it is evident in the manner close relatives, mostly siblings, have been landing up on the opposite sides of the political spectrum as Himachal gears up for Assembly elections.
The latest to jump onto this bandwagon was Vijay Thakur, brother of Congress MLA from Bilaspur (Sadar) Bamber Thakur, who switched over to the BJP in Bilaspur today in the presence of Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda.
Another prominent political family that has been facing relationship crisis is that of Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Dhani Ram Shandil who, as Congress nominee from Solan, is pitted against his son-in-law Dr Rajesh Kashyap (BJP). The latter took premature retirement from government service to take political plunge, and that too against his father-in-law.
Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh’s family, too, has been affected by divisive politics. While the CM and his son Vikramaditya Singh have been contesting as Congress nominees from Arki in Solan and Shimla (Rural), his wife Pratibha Singh’s sister-in-law Vijay Jyoti Sen is the BJP candidate from Kasumpti in Shimla. Vijay Jyoti Sen is the wife of Pratibha’s brother Bir Vikram Sen. To make matters worse, Bir Vikram Sen’s younger brother Prithvi Vikram Sen, too, had jumped into the fray as an Independent from Kasumpti on being denied the BJP ticket. But he withdrew on being persuaded by a top BJP leader.
Yet another family that has seen relations going sour due to politics is that of MLA Maheshwar Singh, who is contesting as a BJP candidate from Kullu. The Congress has fielded Aditya Vikram Singh, son of Maheshwar Singh’s younger brother Karan Singh who passed away earlier this year, from his father’s seat of Banjar. Kasumpti sitting MLA Anirudh Singh is the Congress candidate while his cousin Kuldeep Tanwar is pitted against him as the CPM nominee. Even in Palampur, there was a bitter struggle for the Congress ticket between Gokul Butail, IT adviser to the CM, and his close relative Ashish Butail, son of Assembly Speaker BBL Butail. However, Ashish emerged victorious in the family ticket tussle.
Torn apart amid ticket tussle
- Congress Bilaspur (Sadar) MLA Bamber Thakur's brother Vijay Thakur joined the BJP on Wednesday
- Congress' Dhani Ram Shandil is pitted against his son-in-law Dr Rajesh Kashyap (BJP) in Solan
- CM Virbhadra Singh's sister-in-law Vijay Jyoti Sen is fighting as BJP nominee from Kasumpti
- BJP's Maheshwar Singh is contesting from Kullu while his nephew is Congress nominee from Banjar
- Sitting Congress MLA from Kasumpti Anirudh Singh is fighting against his cousin Kuldeep Tanwar of the CPM
- In Palampur, Gokul Butail lost the ticket race to his close relative Ashish Butail, son of Speaker BBL Butail
