Billionaire Biz Woman Savitri Jindal In Haryana Poll Fight

Savitri Jindal, matriarch of the Jindal family, is a prominent figure in Haryana politics and is part of one of India's wealthiest families, worth $40 billion. After the passing of her husband, OP Jindal, she contested and won her first Haryana Assembly election from Hisar in 2005 as a Congress candidate. Re-elected in 2009, she also served as a minister during her second term. However, Congress has been out of power for over a decade at both the state and national levels. In a surprising move in March 2024, Savitri Jindal left Congress and joined BJP. However, when BJP’s candidate list was announced for the Haryana Assembly elections, she was overlooked. At 74 years old, Jindal decided to contest as an independent candidate. BJP’s candidate, Kamal Gupta, questioned her intentions, suggesting she joined BJP for personal gain, not ideology. Meanwhile, Savitri Jindal insisted that the people of Hisar had urged her to run, and she vowed to honor their trust. Her decision has created tension within her family, especially as her younger son is a BJP MP. With her former party, Congress, criticizing her sporadic presence in Hisar, the upcoming elections on October 5th will determine if the Jindal legacy can still command the trust of Hisar’s voters.