Another son rises on MP’s political horizon

NK SINGH

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s political career started surprisingly early. According to his official website, he fought for farm workers of his village when he was just nine year old! 

The child prodigy learnt the ropes of hardcore politics at the age of 16 as the president of his school union in Bhopal and as an activist of Vidyarthi Parishad, the students’ wing of RSS.

A year later, the then Congress Government detained him during the Emergency. Shivraj became the youngest person to be arrested under draconian MISA and underwent rite of passage in Bhopal jail, where he spent nine months in the company of senior RSS leaders.

It is natural for a son to follow the footsteps of his father.

Kartikey Singh Chouhan, the chief minister’s 23-year-old son, has also taken plunge into political arena quite early, even as he pursues his master’s in law at a Pune college.

Recently he addressed a political rally of Kirar-Dhakad community in Kolaras assembly constituency, shortly before a fiercely contested by-election.

Remarkable lauch

It was a remarkable political launch.

Kolaras is part of Guna Lok Sabha constituency, represented by Jyotiraditya Scindia and considered a traditional Scindia family bastion

 Junior Chouhan was pitted against political heavyweight Jyotiraditya Scindia, one of the topmost leaders of MP Congress.

Kartikey chose to address the rally at the same time and same venue even as the Congress MP was addressing a parallel rally of Kirar-Dhakad community in an adjacent ground.

The constituency has about 18 per cent votes of Kirar-Dhakad, the community to which Kartikey and his father belong. 

The political parties were describing the by-elections to Kolaras and Mungaoli assembly constituencies, both part of Guna parliamentary seat, as the semi-final before the 2018 assembly polls.

Student, entrepreneur, politician

Kartikey appears to be a remarkable, multi-faceted young man. 

He is president of students’ union at Pune’s Symboisis Law School, where he is a final year law student.

He is also a budding entrepreneur.

He runs a flower shop in an upscale locality of Bhopal, selling orchids grown on his family farm. He is coming up with a state of the art, high profile Rs 6 crore dairy project near Vidisha, backed by a high profile advertising campaign that promises to herald another Amul for farmers of the region.

Kartikey’s interest in public life has been the subject of political gossip in MP for quite some time now. 

The first inkling came a few months ago when he delivered a welcome address on the 100th day of the official Narmada yatra at Jait, his ancestral village, interestingly, in the presence of several cabinet ministers. 

Proud father

A proud Shivraj later told media that he never knew his son spoke so well.

Speaking at an event in Bhopal this week, he said: "He is studying law at present. He has become the president of college union there. Now what can I say about it, it is his inclination."

Replying to a question, he did not deny that his son had political ambitions.

However, he said categorically that he was not grooming him son to take over the reins of power in case he was elevated to national scene after assembly elections. 

Kartikey has been attending public functions in Budhni, his father’s constituency, as chief guest.

He also actively campaigned for his father in the last election like family members of most politicians. However, the highly publicised and well attended meeting at Kolaras was his first foray outside the home turf.

Congressmen in glass house

Some Congress leaders have tried to term his obvious political grooming as a sign of dynastic politics in BJP. They have apparently forgotten the dictum that those who live in glass houses should not throw stone at others.

Sons or close relatives of every single chief minister of MP have joined politics. Given this background, it is looks a little unfair to single out Kartikey as a symbol of dynastic politics.

Not eligible to contest election

In any case, Kartikey is not eligible to contest the forthcoming assembly elections. Born on May 23, 1994, Kartikey will turn 25 in May next year, becoming eligible to contest election.

Political circles are agog with rumours that the young man is being groomed as his father’s successor for Vidisha Lok Sabha seat. Chouhan had left Vidisha Lok Sabha seat in 2005 to become the chief minister.

At present it is represented by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who happens to be a rank outside for Madhya Pradesh.

Incidentally, Kartikey may or may not contest election in near future.

But grapevine has it that more than a dozen prominent ministers and senior BJP leaders would be seeking party ticket for their sons to contest assembly election this year, adding to the existing long list of 50 MPs and MLAs from Madhya Pradesh who belong to political dynasties.

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