Former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag has thrown his weight behind Congress candidate Anirudh Chaudhary in the upcoming Haryana Assembly elections, urging voters in the Tosham constituency to support him.
"I consider him as my elder brother, and his father, Ranbir Singh Mahendra, who also served as BCCI president, had supported me a lot. This is one of the most important days for him, and I feel I would be able to help him," Sehwag said in a video. "I urge the people of Tosham to help Anirudh Chaudhary win."
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Sehwag's endorsement has added a fresh dynamic to the closely contested constituency, where family legacies and political rivalries run deep.
Anirudh Chaudhary, 48, the son of former BCCI president Ranbir Mahendra and the grandson of four-time Haryana chief minister Bansi Lal, is facing a tough battle. His cousin, Shruti Choudhry, also 48, the daughter of Bansi Lal’s younger son Surender Singh, is the BJP candidate, making the fight for Tosham a family affair.
{{/usCountry}}Anirudh Chaudhary, 48, the son of former BCCI president Ranbir Mahendra and the grandson of four-time Haryana chief minister Bansi Lal, is facing a tough battle. His cousin, Shruti Choudhry, also 48, the daughter of Bansi Lal’s younger son Surender Singh, is the BJP candidate, making the fight for Tosham a family affair.
{{/usCountry}}"I am cent per cent sure that Congress will emerge victorious because the current (BJP) government has failed to solve the problems faced by farmers," said Anirudh Chaudhary, while sitting along side Sehwag.
“There's a huge water crisis here, but the government has also failed to solve this issue. Development has not taken place here, and I want to solve all these issues,” he added.
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Family battle in Tosham
Tosham has long been a stronghold for the Bansi Lal family, with Bansi Lal himself winning six elections from the constituency. Surender Singh and his wife, Kiran Choudhry, have also represented the seat multiple times. In 2019, Kiran Choudhry won by a margin of 18,059 votes against Parmar, who was then a BJP candidate.
The constituency’s caste distribution shows that Jats comprise about 33% of the population, Brahmins 10%, Rajputs 7%, Ahirs 4.5%, Khati 3.2%, Punjabi-Khatris 2.6%, Vaish 2%, Nai 1.9%, Gujjars 1.8% and Scheduled Castes 24%.