Thus it should not spring a surprise on anyone, who learns that just one family, the overwhelming Gandhi family, has ruled more than half the period after the Independence of the country.

Three generations from this single family have been elected for the post of Prime Minister, the highest political post of the nation and their combined duration of reigning at the helm runs into decades.

Jawahar Lal Nehru, his daughter Indira Gandhi, and his grandson in law Rajiv Gandhi have become household names, not for nothing.

If the Gandhi-Nehru instance gives an impression of a flash in the pan, then there are scores of other examples of which the Indian polity is replete with. Late Madhav Rao Scindia a former Cabinet Minister, his sister Vasundhara Raje who is presently the Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Jyotiraditya Scindia MP, is son of late Madhav Rao Scindia.

Not only that, former Deputy Prime Minister Devi Lal’s son, Om Prakash Chautala reigned as the Chief Minister of Haryana. Laloo Prasad Yadav was the former CM of Bihar, who later relinquished the post for the appointment of his wife Rarbi Devi as the Chief Minister of Bihar.

To count among others the incumbent Chief Minister of Orissa, Naveen Patnaik is the son of former Chief Minister of the state the veteran Biju Patnaik. Down south M Karunanidhi is the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and his son Stalin is now the President of DMK. Not only that the high tech CM of Andhra Pradesh is the son in law of late veteran of Andhra politics N T Ramrao.

... contd.