Family name at stake in 3 seats of Faridabad, Palwal

With the Assembly elections in all the nine segments of Faridabad and Palwal district turning into a blend of old and new faces, it has put at stake the family legacy of three contestants, who have been struggling to keep their family name alive and kicking in the political arena.

Neeraj Sharma, outgoing MLA from the NIT segment, and Vijay Pratap, who had lost in the last election from Badkhal, have been dotting the election scene on the basis of their experience in the political field, but the main issue is that they are fighting to keep their family legacy alive, according to political sources.

Sharma was the only candidate of the Congress in the region who survived the Modi wave in 2019 and became one of the most vocal legislators of the party both inside and outside the Assembly in the past five years, it is claimed. He also gained publicity when he shed his normal attire and took to one piece of cloth for about three months in protest against the alleged discrimination and delay in the release of funds for his constituency in 2023-24.

While Sharma’s father, Shiv Charan Lal Sharma, got elected as MLA from NIT in 2009, he lost the second election in 2014 to INLD’s Nagender Bhadana. Neeraj, who took over the political reins, won from NIT in 2019 despite severe opposition. “I am confident that I will not only be able to carry forward the legacy of my father, but will also benefit from anti-incumbency,” said Sharma.

“Vijay Pratap Singh is another prominent candidate who faces the challenge of taking forward his family name. His father Mahender Pratap Singh, a former minister, had won from Badkhal in 2014,” said Devinder Singh, a political analyst. He said though Vijay Pratap had lost to BJP’s Seema Trikha in 2019, he is sitting pretty due to the fact that the candidate fielded by the BJP is a greenhorn and carries the tag of an outsider.

The third candidate in this category is Parag Sharma, fielded by the Congress from Ballabhgarh segment. Parag is the daughter of Yogesh Sharma, a former MLA from this seat. “Though she is contesting her first election, she is also faced with the task of saving her family’s name,” said Subash Dagar, a resident. Yogesh Sharma claimed that his daughter is set to make waves due to her dedication and honesty.

Besides Parag Sharma, Rohit Nagar is another new face fielded by the Congress from Tigaon Assembly segment in the district. Gaurav Gautam from Palwal, Manoj Rawat from Hathin and Harinder Singh from Hodal segment are other greenhorns locked in stiff battle. Harinder is son of former MLA Ram Rattan.