Om Prakash Chautala, Former Haryana CM and INLD President, Passes Away at 89 After Completing Class 10 and 12 Exams

Chandigarh, Dec 20 (NationPress) The president of the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and a five-time Chief Minister of Haryana, Om Prakash Chautala, whose family has significantly influenced the state's political landscape, particularly in rural regions dominated by Jat voters, passed away in Gurugram following a cardiac arrest on Friday.

He was 89 years old and had recently completed his Class 10 and 12 examinations two years ago. The cardiac arrest occurred at his residence, and he was quickly transported to Medanta Hospital, where he unfortunately succumbed.

According to family sources, Chautala's cremation will take place at Teja Khera in Sirsa district on Saturday afternoon, with his body available for public viewing from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences on social media, stating, “I am deeply saddened by the demise of former Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala ji. He was engaged in state politics for many years and consistently worked to continue the legacy of (Chaudhary) Devi Lal.”

Om Prakash Chautala was the son of former Deputy Prime Minister Chaudhary Devi Lal.

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini also paid tribute, saying, “His contributions to state politics will always be remembered.”

INLD spokesperson Rakesh Sihag reported that the former chief minister had been feeling unwell earlier that morning before the cardiac arrest occurred.

Om Prakash Chautala's wife, Sneh Lata, passed away in August 2019. He is survived by three daughters and two sons, Abhay Singh Chautala and Ajay Singh Chautala.

Abhay previously served as the Leader of Opposition in the Haryana Legislative Assembly from October 2014 until March 2019.

The Chaudhary Devi Lal family has held power in the state seven times, with Devi Lal serving as Chief Minister twice and his son Om Prakash Chautala five times since December 1989.

Om Prakash Chautala's longest tenure as Chief Minister lasted from March 2000 to March 2005. Following that, the INLD became the primary opposition party in the 2014 elections, securing 19 seats. However, in recent elections, the party's influence waned dramatically as it had only one member in the previous assembly, Abhay Chautala, who lost in the 2024 elections.

The political dynamics in Haryana have shifted considerably over the last decade, especially since the BJP gained power in 2014 and maintained its dominance in the 2024 elections.

The INLD faced internal strife when Om Prakash Chautala's grandson, Dushyant Chautala, broke away to form the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) in 2018.

Both INLD and JJP were significantly weakened in the October assembly elections.

The Jat community, which constitutes about 27% of the electorate and was traditionally loyal to regional parties, has shifted its support, negatively impacting both INLD and JJP.

While the election results were disheartening for Dushyant Chautala, his younger brother Arjun Chautala managed to win against Ranjit Chautala, an Independent candidate and sitting legislator.

Ranjit Chautala, who served as a Cabinet minister in the previous BJP government, is the brother of Om Prakash Chautala.

Both regional parties, which were primarily centered in rural areas, have lost their influence, with key leaders Abhay Singh Chautala of the INLD and Dushyant Chautala of JJP facing electoral defeats.

Interestingly, the JJP, which had been part of the ruling coalition with the outgoing BJP government led by Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, struggled to secure any seats in the recent elections, marking a significant setback.

In the assembly elections, the INLD allied with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), while its splinter group, the JJP, partnered with the Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram).

A special Central Bureau of Investigation court in Delhi sentenced Om Prakash Chautala and eight others to 10 years in prison on January 22, 2013, for illegally recruiting 3,206 junior basic trained teachers in 2000.

He was released from Tihar Jail in July 2021. At the age of 87, Om Prakash Chautala successfully completed his Class 10 and 12 exams, receiving his mark sheets from the Haryana board.

In 2021, he took the Class 12 exams through the Haryana Open Board, but his results were withheld due to an incomplete Class 10 English exam. He subsequently passed the Class 10 exam, scoring 88 out of 100 in English.

Before that, he had cleared his Class 10 exams from the National Institute of Open School in 2017 while serving his sentence in Tihar Jail.

(For further inquiries, contact Vishal Gulati at vishal.g@ians.in)