Earlier this week, former Team India cricketer Virender Sehwag left many people surprised by campaigning for the Congress in the ongoing Haryana Assembly elections. He appeared in a rally for Congress candidate from Tosham, Anirudh Chaudhary.
Why was this considered a surprise? Mainly because the political views Sehwag has expressed on social media, have been a huge hit with the pro-BJP ecosystem. This gave the impression that Sehwag, too, is ideologically aligned towards the BJP.
However, things aren't as one-dimensional as they may appear on social media. If one digs a bit deeper, Sehwag's act may not seem as surprising.
There are two elements to this.
Equation With Anirudh Chaudhary and Family
At the Congress rally in Tosham, Sehwag described the candidate Anirudh Chaudhary as his "elder brother". Chaudhary happens to be the son of former BCCI president Ranbir Singh Mahendra and grandson of former Haryana CM Bansi Lal. Anirudh is up against his cousin Shruti Chaudhary of the BJP, who is the daughter of Bansi Lal's younger son Surender Singh.
Sehwag's association with the family is mainly due to his friendship with Anirudh Chaudhary and his personal equation with Ranbir Singh Mahendra, a respected figure in cricket administration in India.
But this is not the only factor in play.
The Hooda Factor
Sehwag is also known to have a good equation with former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and his son and Rohtak MP Deepender Singh Hooda. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP is said to have been considering fielding Sehwag against Deepender Hooda from the Rohtak Lok Sabha seat. Sehwag is said to have been unwilling to go against Hooda and dismissed any such speculation as "rumours".
A source in the know of the equation between Sehwag and the Hooda said, "They (Hoodas) have always been kind to him and he wouldn't have wanted to spoil that relation by contesting".
In 2008, Bhupinder Singh Hooda as the CM, had announced that the Haryana government would provide land to Sehwag for creating a sports academy. The land was eventually allotted in Jhajjar district on a lease of 33 years.
When a section of locals raised concerns in 2011, the Hooda government helped address these issues.
Sehwag was keen to start a school on that land and a high-end school came up on the property eventually.
Bhupinder Hooda as CM is said to have done a lot to promote sports - from the construction of stadiums, to providing allowances and even a supply of ghee.
Even at the peak of anti-incumbency against Hooda in 2014, the one section which continued to speak out in his support were athletes and people who training to be athletes, especially those belonging to the Jat community.
Such gestures go a long way in building goodwill and Sehwag's equation with the Hoodas must also be seen in this context.
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