The politics of dynasty

The results of the Lok Sabha by-polls on Sunday, proved one thing. Dynastic politics is here to stay. All three winners -- Anurag Thakur, Agatha Sangma and Anand Paranjape -have one thing in common. All of them have been elected to the Lok Sabha from seats vacated by their fathers.

Anurag Thakur is the son of Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister PK Dhumal. He was contesting from Hamirpur in HP, a seat vacated by his chief minister father when he quit to join the state assembly. Anurag contesting on a Bharatiya Janata Party ticket, trounced his nearest rival O P Rattan of the Congress by a huge margin of 1,74,666 votes.

Agatha Sangma is the daughter of former Lok Sabha Speaker and Nationalist Congress Party leader Purno Sangma. Agatha won the Tura bypoll defeating Congress candidate Zenith Sangma by 99,855 votes. The seat fell vacant after Agatha's father Purno Sangma resigned following his election as a MLA two months ago.

Anand Paranjpe is the son of veteran Shiv Sena leader and four-time MP from Thane, Prakash Paranjpe, whose death in February necessitated the by-poll. Anand Paranjpe defeated NCP candidate Sanjeev Naik by 86,565 votes to retain the seat for the Shiv Sena. Incidentally, Sanjeev Naik is the son of Maharashtra minister Ganesh Naik.