Bhopal, Dec 19: The Bharatiya Janta Party, which often criticised Congress for its dynastic politics, fielded kin of many of its leaders in Madhya Pradesh state Assembly elections, majority of whom won the polls.
Leading the list of such candidates who contested the elections on the BJP tickets was Neena Verma, wife of former leader of opposition in the state Assembly Vikram Verma.
Neena created a record of sorts in the elections by becoming the only candidate who scraped through in the Dhar constituency by just one vote.
Apart from Neena, other relatives of BJP leaders who figured in the fray included Vishwas Sarang, son of senior party leader Kailash Sarang won from Narela constituency where he defeated Congress nominee Sunil Sood, who is at present Mayor of Bhopal.
Former Chief Minister Sunderlal Patwa`s nephew, Surendra Patwa won from Bhojpur constituency in the Raisen district. Deepak Joshi son of another former Chief Minister, Kailash Joshi got elected from the Haatpipaliya constituency in the Dewas district.
Only one such candidate could not win the elections.
From the Congress side the only prominent relative of a senior leader to have contested the elections was Ajay Singh, younger son of Union Minister Arjun Singh.
But Ajay had been contesting elections from the early 90s and he was elected yet again from the Churhat constituency in his native Sidhi district.
Commenting on the trend of giving tickets to relatives of senior party leader and Rajya Sabha member Prabhat Jha said that dynastic politics could pose a "threat to democracy".
Jha said that he was not against giving tickets to those who had been active in politics for a long time.
"But I don`t think is not right to give ticket to someone who has not done any political work and whose only credential is that he is related to a senior leader," he added.
Bureau Report
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