Om Prakash Chautala, the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) president and former Haryana chief minister, sadly passed away in Gurugram on Friday, December 20, 2024. The revered political figure was 89 years old at the time of his passing. As per a party spokesperson, his death was the result of a cardiac arrest.
Political stalwart, Om Prakash Chautala passed away after suffering a cardiac arrest on Friday, December 20, 2024. Prior to the tragic news being announced, Om Prakash Chautala’s last public sighting was during the voting of the Haryana Assembly election when he was spotted at a polling booth in Sirsa’s Chautala village on October 5, 2024.
For the unversed, Om Prakash Chautala, who served as the seventh chief minister of Haryana, is the son of another highly esteemed political figure, Chaudhary Devi Lal. The latter served as the former Deputy Prime Minister of India. On his part, Om Prakash Chautala served as Haryana’s CM from December 1989 to May 1990, July 1990 to July 1990, March 1991 to April 1991 and, finally, July 1999 to March 2005.
Following his long political career, Chautala was slammed with a four-year jail sentence in a disproportionate assets case that was 16 years old on May 27, 2022, by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Chautala became the oldest prisoner when he served out his prison stint at the age of 87 in Delhi’s Tihar Jail.
Om Prakash Chautala was born in a tiny village close to Haryana’s Sirsa. His father, Chaudhary Devi Lal was instrumental in the growth of Haryana in 1966, serving as the state’s CM and later as the nation’s deputy PM. He was also the founder of the INLD party in 1996. Reports suggest that Chautala dropped out of school and chose to follow in his father's footsteps by venturing into politics. He was elected to Haryana's Legislative Assembly as a Janata Dal member in 1970.
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The early years of Chautala's political career were plagued by a few controversies. One major incident occurred in 1978 when he was detained at the Delhi airport for trying to bring a large number of wristwatches into the country. This damaged his relationship with his father, but Chautala slowly but surely rebuilt his renown as a politician. He began by leading the Naya Yudh campaign in support of his father’s highly successful 1987 election bid.
In 1987, Om Prakash Chautala was elected to the Rajya Sabha and served until 1990. Om Prakash Chautala led protests against corruption in 1990. However, in the same year, he hacked accusations of plotting the killing of a political opponent. He replaced his father as Haryana’s CM in December 1989 when the latter was appointed as India’s deputy PM. However, Om Prakash Chautala failed to secure a state assembly seat within the specified time frame of six months, leading him to step down in May 1990. He assumed the position another three times following this.
Om Prakash Chautala's beloved wife, Sneh Lata left for her heavenly abode before him in August 2019. The late politician is survived by his three daughters and two sons, including Abhay Singh Chautala and Ajay Singh Chautala. Abhay is known for being an MLA from the Ellenabad constituency of Haryana. He also served as the Leader of the Opposition in the Haryana Legislative Assembly from October 2014 till March 2019. Om Prakash Chautala's grandson, Dushyant Chautala, has also followed his family into the world of politics. He is the leader of Jannayak Janata Party, having previously served at the deputy CM of Haryana. Previously, he was a member of parliament in the Lok Sabha from the Hisar constituency.
Our hearts and prayers go out to Om Prakash Chautala’s loved ones during this trying time.
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