In Kosli & Ateli seats, poll battle likely to turn into a family affair

GURGAON: Kosli and Ateli assembly seats are set to be among the most closely watched contests in Haryana polls, with at least three members of a family vying to get tickets from rival parties that could pit them against each other.
Rao Yadavendra Singh, a former two-time MLA from Kosli, is hoping to be fielded from the Congress once again.
Yadavendra, the younger brother of Union minister and BJP's Gurgaon MP Rao Inderjit Singh, said on Thursday that the "deserving candidate" should be a contender from Kosli.
"Anyone can be a contender, but what matters is who has the weight. The wind may be in Congress's favour, but that doesn't mean we overlook the most deserving candidate," he said.
Yadavendra's race for Congress ticket from Kosli is not without its challenges. His candidacy is complicated by the possibility that Rao Inderjit Singh is pitching for his daughter Aarti Rao to be fielded by BJP from the constituency.
Rao Inderjit Singh, who was with Congress for most of his political career till he switched to BJP ahead of 2014 Lok Sabha elections, is the most prominent Ahir face from the region. Kosli and Ateli are part of the Ahirwal belt in Haryana.
On the other side, Yadavendra was elected from Kosli for two consecutive terms from 2005 till 2014, but political fortunes took a downturn after Inderjit left the party for BJP. Since then, the younger sibling lost the seat as a Congress candidate consecutively in 2014 and 2019. Sources told TOI that the contest in Ateli could also end up becoming a Rao family affair. Inderjit's nephew Abhijeet is eager to make a mark in politics, while BJP is also considering fielding Aarti from here.
On Thursday, a source in BJP said the party was confident of victory. "Rao Inderjit Singh has a huge following in the region and irrespective of any candidate fielded by Congress, the party will lead," the source said. Elections for all 90 assembly seats in Haryana are scheduled for Oct 1 and results will be declared on Oct 4.