Shruti Choudhry wins in Tosham, defeats cousin Anirudh in Haryana polls
PTC News Desk: In the recent Haryana assembly elections, the contest for the Tosham seat garnered significant attention as two family members faced off against each other: BJP's Shruti Choudhry emerged victorious over her cousin Anirudh Chaudhry.
Shruti Choudhry hails from a politically influential family. She is the daughter of veteran BJP leader Kiran Choudhry and Surender Singh, the son of former Haryana Chief Minister Bansi Lal. Anirudh Chaudhry, her cousin and opponent, is the son of Ranbir Singh Mahendra, who previously served as the president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
Bansi Lal, their grandfather, had a notable political career, serving as Haryana's Chief Minister three times and holding significant Union portfolios such as Defence and Railways during the governments of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi.
Shruti began her political journey after her father's passing in 2005. Initially aligning with the Congress party, she represented the Bhiwani constituency from 2009 to 2014. In June 2024, amidst increasing disagreements with Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda, she and her mother, Kiran Choudhry, switched allegiance to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Kiran Choudhry had previously held the Tosham Assembly seat but resigned as an MLA last month to run for a Rajya Sabha by-election from Haryana, which she won unopposed. Confident of her daughter's success in the "battle of the cousins," Kiran Choudhry supported Shruti's campaign in the October 5 elections for the 90-member Haryana assembly.
In her campaign, Shruti, who belongs to the Jat community, accused her former party of spreading misinformation during the Lok Sabha Elections, claiming that the BJP aimed to dismantle the Constitution and revoke reservation policies if it secured a majority.
Anirudh Chaudhry is not only a politician but also a notable figure in the sports administration realm, having served as the treasurer of the BCCI and holding positions such as honorary secretary of the Haryana Cricket Association. He was also the manager of the Indian cricket team during the ICC T20 World Cup in England in 2009.
Despite his accomplishments, Anirudh's tenure as BCCI treasurer was marred by controversies, including allegations regarding the maintenance of multiple offices, including a luxury hotel suite, and resisting the implementation of the Lodha reforms. He has consistently denied any allegations of wrongdoing.
The Tosham constituency is one of the 90 seats in Haryana's Vidhan Sabha (State Assembly) and is located in the Bhiwani district. The constituency includes the entire Tosham tehsil and parts of the Bhiwani tehsil. It is a general seat, not reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), or Other Backward Classes (OBCs). Kiran Choudhry held this seat since 2010, marking a significant political presence in the region.
Geographically, Tosham is situated at the foothills of the Tosham hill range, part of the Aravalli mountain range, and has been recognized as a Gram Panchayat, even earning the title of Adarsh Gaon (Model Village). The electorate of Tosham consisted of approximately 2,09,063 voters during the 2019 Assembly Elections.
As the results of the elections unfold, the dynamics of family politics in Haryana continue to be a point of intrigue, highlighting the interplay of legacy, loyalty, and rivalry in the state's political landscape.
- With inputs from agencies
