Nepotism not always an advantage in UP

Nepotism no longer seems to be an advantage for the children of political leaders who left behind a rich legacy for their children.

The new generations have failed to fit in the shoes of their elders.

The children of former chief minister Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna are a classic example of this.

Rita Bahuguna Joshi, Vijay Bahuguna and Shekhar Bahuguna did get opportunities because of the legacy they carried but failed to go beyond a point.

Rita Bahuguna Joshi was appointed president of the UP Congress, her brother Vijay Bahuguna became chief minister of Uttarakhand and younger brother Shekhar Bahuguna contested three assembly elections and lost all.

Rita and Vijay joined BJP and Rita won the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Allahabad before becoming a minister in the Yogi Adityanath government in UP.

This time, Rita Bahuguna Joshi has been denied a ticket by the BJP and her efforts to initiate her son Mayank Joshi into politics have also failed. Vijay Bahuguna is in semi-retirement and so is Shekhar Bahuguna.

Former chief minister Veer Bahadur Singh’s son Fateh Bahadur Singh joined the BJP and has won six assembly elections from Campierganj and Paniyara constituencies of eastern UP. However, he could not make his mark in state politics and neither could he keep his father’s legacy alive.

Former chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav ushered his son Akhilesh into politics through a by-election in Kannauj in 2000.

Akhilesh was elected as a member of the 14th Lok Sabha for a second term in 2004 and then got a third term in 2009.

In 2012, Akhilesh became UP chief minister after his party won a majority in the UP assembly polls.

Mulayam Singh brought in about half a dozen other family members in politics and they are all carrying his legacy forward.

Aparna Yadav, the younger daughter-in-law of the late Mulayam Singh Yadav, attempted to make a debut in politics by contesting the Cantt assembly seat in Lucknow. She lost the elections and then, following a family feud, joined the BJP ahead of the 2022 assembly polls.

Since then, she has been offering herself for different positions but has found no takers. Two days ago, she announced that if her party wanted, she was ready to ‘challenge and defeat’ Priyanka Gandhi from Rae Bareli. The BJP did not even react to this.

On the other hand, former chief minister Kalyan Singh’s son and grandson have made their mark in politics.

Kalyan Singh’s son Rajvir Singh has won two successive Lok Sabha elections from Etah and is now preparing for his third term.

Rajveer’s son, Sandeep Singh, won the 2007 and then the 2022 assembly elections and is one of the younger ministers in the Yogi Adityanath government.