10 family members of three Lals in fray in Haryana polls

For nearly 30 years, the three Lals -- Chaudhary Devi Lal, Bansi Lal and Bhajan Lal -- ruled Haryana by turns after the state was carved out of Punjab in 1966, enjoying immense clout. At least ten of their family members are contesting the October 21 assembly polls in the state amid declining influence of these clans over the last 15 years.

In the family of former deputy prime minister and ex-chief minister Chaudhary Devi Lal, the youngest to enter the poll fray is 31-year-old Dushyant Chautala who is contesting from Uchana Kalan against sitting MLA Prem Lata, wife of former Union minister Chaudhary Birender Singh. Dushyant, a former Hisar MP, is a candidate of the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), a breakaway of the Indian National Lok Dal which witnessed spilt in 2018 following a feud in the Chautala clan.

Dushyant is great grandson of late Devi Lal. While two members of the Chautala family are JJP candidates, one each is contesting on tickets from INLD and the BJP, while one is contesting as an Independent. Five from the other two families are fighting on Congress tickets.

Dushyant's mother Naina Chautala is contesting from Badhra constituency on JJP ticket. In 2014 assembly elections, Naina, wife of Ajay Singh Chautala, had won from Dabwali seat on INLD ticket. INLD leader and sitting MLA Abhay Singh Chautala is in the fray from Ellanabad again.

Ajay and Abhay are sons of former chief minister Om Prakash Chautala and grandsons of Devi Lal. Aditya Singh Chautala, son of Jagdish Chautala who is one of the four sons of Devi Lal, is fighting from Dabwali assembly constituency on BJP ticket.

Ranjit Singh Chautala, 73, son of late deputy prime minister Devi Lal, has entered the electoral fray from Rania as Independent after failing to secure ticket from the Congress. In the family of former chief minister Bhajan Lal, his two sons -- Kuldeep Bishnoi and Chander Mohan -- have filed nominations from Adampur and Panchkula assembly seats respectively on Congress tickets.

Chander Mohan is a four-time MLA from Kalka seat and former deputy chief minister of Haryana. From the family for former chief minister Bansi Lal, his son 75-year-old Ranbir Singh Mahendra is contesting from Badhra seat on Congress ticket.

Mahendra, who is a former president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), is facing JJP nominee Naina Chautala as his main rival. Bansi Lal's daughter-in law Kiran Chaudhary, who is senior Congress leader, has filed her nomination from Tosham seat.

Chaudhary is the wife of Surender Singh, who died in helicopter crash in 2005.         The Congress has also fielded Somvir Singh, son-in-law of Bansi Lal, from Loharu seat. The Indian National Lok Dal, founded by Devi Lal, split in 2018 after a bitter power struggle between his two grandsons Ajay Chautala and Abhay Chautala.

The feud saw Ajay Chautala and his sons Dushyant and Digvijay being expelled from the party by Om Prakash Chautala. Following the 10-year rule of the Congress under Bhupinder Singh Hooda and the emergence of BJP as a major player in 2014, the influence of the three families has been confined to their pocket boroughs. PTI CHS VSD

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