Anirudh Choudhry has served as the former treasurer of the BCCI and secretary of the Haryana Cricket Association. (Facebook/AnirudhChaudhryBCCI)
The Congress has nominated Anirudh Chaudhry, son of Bansi Lal’s elder son Ranbir Singh Mahendra, for the Tosham seat, marking his first entry into electoral politics
Campaigning for the Haryana Assembly Elections has entered its final stages. One of the closely watched constituencies where a fierce battle is expected is Tosham, the stronghold of former Haryana Chief Minister Bansi Lal, where his grandchildren are pitted against each other in a fierce contest.
The Congress has fielded Anirudh Chaudhry, the son of Bansi Lal’s elder son, Ranbir Singh Mahendra, as its candidate for the Tosham seat. This marks Anirudh Chaudhry’s first foray into electoral politics.
Anirudh has also served as the former treasurer of the BCCI and secretary of the Haryana Cricket Association. His father, Ranbir Mahendra, has been the President of the BCCI and has also served as an MLA from Haryana.
Anirudh has had a long association with cricket. In addition to managing the India Under-19 cricket team, he also served as the manager of the 2007 T20 World Cup-winning team and has extensive experience in the BCCI.
Born into a family of politicians, Anirudh commands an army of party workers, though he has never contested an election before. Entering the electoral fray for the first time, he has put all his political might into securing his family’s stronghold.
While the Tosham seat has always been a stronghold of the Congress, the equations have changed this time. This is because veteran leader Kiran Choudhry, Bansi Lal’s daughter-in-law and wife of his younger son, late Surender, has flipped sides and joined the BJP.
After joining the BJP, Kiran Choudhry secured a Rajya Sabha seat. The party has also nominated her daughter, Shruti Choudhry, as its candidate for the Tosham seat. Kiran Choudhry herself has served as an MLA from Tosham four times. According to sources, some big names in the world of cricket may campaign for Anirudh at Tosham in the coming days.
The battle between the cousins from the Bansi Lal family has made the electoral fight at Tosham interesting.
Bansi Lal’s family has been contesting elections from the Tosham seat for many decades. This time, the contest is seen as a fight for the family legacy. After Bansi Lal’s death, his son and daughter-in-law contested against each other for this seat. Now, it is the turn of his grandchildren.
