Om Prakash Chautala, an influential figure in Haryana’s political landscape and the leader of the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), passed away in Gurugram on Friday, December 20, at the age of 89. He died after suffering a cardiac arrest, according to a statement from the party. Chautala was last seen in public during the Haryana Assembly elections on October 5, 2024, when he visited a polling booth in his native Chautala village in Sirsa.
Chautala, the son of Chaudhary Devi Lal—Haryana’s former chief minister and India’s former deputy prime minister—served as Haryana’s chief minister for multiple terms, and his political career spanned several decades. He first assumed the role of chief minister in December 1989, though his tenure was marked by political challenges and controversies. His longest tenure in office was from July 1999 to March 2005.
In 2022, Chautala was sentenced to a four-year jail term in a 16-year-old disproportionate assets case, which led to his imprisonment in Tihar Jail, where he became the oldest prisoner at 87. However, he was granted release in 2020 after serving his sentence.
Chautala’s personal life was also marked by hardship, as his wife, Sneh Lata, passed away in August 2019. He is survived by three daughters and two sons: Abhay Singh Chautala, a prominent leader and Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Ellenabad, and Ajay Singh Chautala. Abhay Singh also served as the Leader of Opposition in Haryana’s Legislative Assembly from 2014 to 2019. Chautala’s grandson, Dushyant Chautala, is a key political leader and the Deputy Chief Minister of Haryana, as well as the leader of the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP).
Born in a small village near Sirsa, Om Prakash Chautala followed in his father’s footsteps into politics. Chaudhary Devi Lal’s role in the creation of Haryana and his tenure as the state’s chief minister and India’s deputy prime minister were highly influential. Om Prakash Chautala was first elected to Haryana’s legislative assembly in 1970 as a member of the Janata Dal (People’s Party).
Throughout his career, Chautala’s political journey was not without controversy. He faced significant challenges, including a 1978 detention at the Delhi airport for attempting to bring in a large number of wristwatches, which caused a rift with his father. Despite this, he rebuilt his political reputation, spearheading campaigns like the “Nyaya Yudh” in the 1980s to support his father’s election bids. He also organized protests against corruption in the 1990s and was instrumental in his father’s successful 1987 election campaign.
Chautala’s political career was further punctuated by his brief tenure as Haryana’s chief minister in the late 1980s and early 1990s, following which he became the opposition leader. In 1999, after his party lost the majority, Chautala returned to power as chief minister for his fourth term.
Chautala was not just a politician; he was a symbol of Haryana’s agricultural community, following in his father’s footsteps to shape the state’s political destiny. His long-standing leadership in the INLD played a significant role in shaping Haryana’s political history, particularly in his advocacy for state autonomy and a distinct regional identity.