Deepender Singh Hooda: Fourth Generation Leader Seeking Fourth Term In Rohtak
Political dynasties in Haryana are not driven by the ideology, but by the goal of holding power and keeping the rivals out. Haryana”s dynasties are infamous for control over the government and effective use of caste arithmetic, especially among Jat votes. From Hoodas, Chautalas, Bansi Lal, Bhajan Lal to Birender Singhs, Haryana is home to at least five prominent political dynasties, which gp back to at least three generations. With that Haryana was connected to the famous saying: ‘if dynasties are flavour of Indian politics, Haryana could well be its capital’.
Deepender Singh Hooda, the Congress candidate in Rohtak constituency, belongs to Hooda clan, originally to Chaudhary Matu Ram Hooda, an Arya Samajist. He is the son of Bhupinder Singh Hooda, who was former chief minister, and Congress president of state, and the grandson of Ranbir Singh Hooda, who was a freedom fighter, member of constituent assembly, member of 1st and 2nd Lok Sabha from Rohtak – a Hooda family citadel. His great grandfather Choudhary Matu Ram was a freedom fighter and social reformer. Deepender is a fourth generation member in Hooda family to be in public service.
Following his family tradition, Deepender started his political career in 2005, by contesting the by-polls from Rohtak. He found success in the maiden match and elected to the 14th Lok Sabha at age of 27, as the youngest MP in the Parliament. In the 2009, 2014 general elections, Deepender won from the same seat by increasing the vote margin up to massive 4,45,736 votes. In 2019, he lost and missed his fourth consecutive win against BJP’s Anand Kumar Sharma, a senior Congress leader who changed his allegiance to BJP ahead of the elections. Following the loss in party’s stronghold, Deepender reached Parliament through Rajya Sabha from his home state in 2020. Presently, he is serving as a Member of Upper House and special invitee to Congress Working Committee (CWC), the highest decision-making body of Congress.
Deepender holds a B.Tech degree from Technological Institute of Textile Sciences, Bhiwani, bachelor’s degree in law from Faculty of Law, University of Delhi and an MBA degree from Kelley School of Business at Indiana University. Before entering politics, he was working as senior manager in a US based airlines company.
In 2011, he was included in 12 Indians who had been named as Young Global Leaders by the World Economic Forum.
(This article is part of a Timeline Internship Programme)
