Shunning Congress legacy, Naveen Jindal makes fresh start with BJP

Deepender Deswal

Hisar, March 26

With Jindal family scion Naveen Jindal joining the BJP, the Congress has lost one of its major back-up in Hisar. Interestingly, the Jindal family had been loyal to the Congress for years and decided to go into political hibernation rather than joining the BJP.

Family’s foray into politics

• Om Prakash Jindal became MLA in 1991 on HVP ticket
• He joined the Congress and won in 2000 and 2005 and became a minister in the Hooda government for 25 days
• He died in a chopper crash in 2005
• His wife Savitri represented Hisar seat in 2005 and 2009 and served as minister in Hooda Cabinet
• Naveen represented Congress on Kurukshetra Lok Sabha seat in 2004, 2009

Family sources refused to comment whether his mother Savitri, who is a former minister and two-time Congress MLA from the Hisar Assembly seat, will join the BJP. “As of now, only Naveen has joined the BJP. There were indications that the BJP was looking for a strong candidate for Kurukshetra,” said a close aide of the family, adding that they had shifted their base from Delhi to Kurukshetra for campaigning in the Lok Sabha poll.

Naveen, who is chairman of Jindal Steel and Power Limited, has also been elected president of the Indian Steel Association. “He will be attending a BJP function in Hisar on March 28, which will be presided over by CM Nayab Saini,” said the sources.

Jindal patriarch Om Prakash Jindal had joined politics as a confidant of Bansi Lal, a former CM, in the Haryana Vikas Party (HVP). He has been a three-time MLA and MP once, representing the Kurukshetra Lok Sabha seat. He won his first Assembly election from Hisar in 1991 on HVP ticket. Later, he shifted to Kurukshetra and won the seat in 1996. He returned to Hisar and won the Assembly seat on Congress ticket in 2000 and 2005. He was minister in the Hooda-led government, when he died in a helicopter crash in 2005, days after assuming charge as minister.

His wife then won the byelection from Hisar on Congress ticket and got elected in 2009. Naveen became MP from Kurukshetra in 2004 and 2009, but lost the seat to the BJP in 2014. Savitri too lost the Hisar seat the same year.