Chiranjeev Rao wants to be Haryana Deputy CM if Congress voted to power

Sumedha Sharma

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Tribune News Service

Gurugram, August 19

Confident of his and the Congress’ victory in the coming Haryana Assembly poll, Rewari MLA Chiranjeev Rao has laid claim to the post of Deputy CM. Chiranjeev, a first-time MLA, is the son of Congress veteran and OBC cell chairman Capt Ajay Singh Yadav and son-in-law of RJD leader and former Bihar CM Lalu Prasad Yadav.

Chiranjeev has been an active leader of the Youth Congress and is a close associate of Rahul Gandhi. He hit the headlines in 2019 when amid a “BJP wave”, he managed to defeat a candidate supported by Gurugram MP Rao Inderjit from Rewari with a meagre margin of 1,317 votes.

Worthy of post

I deserve to be the Deputy CM and have laid my claim to the post. It’s not just my political lineage but experience as a dedicated party worker which make me worthy of the post. Chiranjeev Rao, Rewari MLA

While the party is yet to announce his candidature, Chiranjeev is ready for the poll and is seeking recognition for his lineage and “political achievements”.

“I deserve to be the Deputy CM and have laid my claim to the post. It’s not just my political lineage but experience as a dedicated party worker which makes me worthy of the post. We have always been there, not just for Rewari but Ahirwal and its people. To serve them better, we need a better position in the Congress government that will be formed after the poll,” said Chiranjeev while speaking to The Tribune. Chiranjeev started as a student leader with the NSUI in 2006 and has since risen through the ranks in the party and is national secretary in charge of Rajasthan in the AICC now.

Chiranjeev’s father Capt Ajay Singh Yadav has been a six-time MLA and former minister while his grandfather Rao Abhay Singh was a three-time MLA from Rewari. The family has strong influence not just in Rewari but other parts of Ahirwal as well. Over the past five years, Chiranjeev has emerged as a promising young Ahir leader.

“It’s high time we get our due for serving the party and people for three generations. I have been at the forefront in all party endeavours as an MLA and even as a youth leader. I managed to win even when Home Minister Amit Shah and PM Narendra Modi came to campaign during a BJP wave. We need this post to serve the OBC community and Ahirwal better, which has grossly been ignored in the past 10 years,” said Chiranjeev.

Chiranjeev’s demand finds ground in the recent announcement by LoP and former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda regarding having four Deputy CMs, one being from the OBC. However, he has rattled the Hooda faction in the Congress with this demand owing to well-known differences between his father and Hooda. Captain Yadav, who lost the Lok Sabha poll in 2019 from Gurugram, was denied the ticket in 2024 and it was eventually given to Raj Babbar, who lost.