Voters reject kith and kin of political stalwarts

Political legacies seemed to have counted for little in the assembly elections in five states as the electorate rejected the kith and kin of politicians.

Barring a few exceptions of a few candidates hailing from political families getting through, a large number of inheritors of the legacy was rejected at the hustings.

Relatives of many a political stalwart, especially from Congress, lost.

The results threw up some major upsets with losses of kith and kin of many sitting MPs and party leaders who had used all their influence to clinch a party ticket for their close relatives.

The most prominent loser was Louise Khurshid, wife of Union Minister for Law and Minorities Affairs Salman Khurshuid, from Farrukhabad in Uttar Pradesh, who finished fifth.

Louise was the second politician's spouse in Uttar Pradesh to lose the elections. Former badminton player Amita Singh, wife of Congress MP from Sultanpur Sanjay Singh, was beaten by a margin of over 7,000 votes from Amethi, the pocketborough of the Gandhi family.

Former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh and Union Minister Preneet Kaur's son Raninder Singh lost Samana seat in Punjab.

Abhishek Pal, son of former UP chief minister and Congress MP Jagdambika Pal, lost Basti Sadar seat in UP while Union Steel Minister Beni Prasad Verma's son Rakesh Verma lost the Dariyabad seat in UP where he was placed third.

Shekhar Bahuguna, UP state Congress vice-president and brother of UPCC chief Rita Bahugna Joshi, suffered a humiliating defeat in Phaphamau seat where he finished a poor seventh and forfeited his security deposit.