Of Lals that ruled Haryana, no tickets for two families

Members of 3rd clan fighting over one seat, the families find themselves either sidelined or their influence diminished

ROHTAK: They were among the most powerful chieftains in north India, first establishing a stranglehold on Haryana’s politics from the late 1970s and then maintaining it throughout the 1980s, finally bequeathing their strongman legacies to their scions. Together, they formed the formidable Lal trio — former chief ministers Devi Lal, Bansi Lal and Bhajan Lal, who collectively ruled the state for over 30 years and birthed a fiercely competitive clan-based politics that shaped Haryana.

But in 2024, the families of the three men who once decided the fates of hundreds of ticket aspirants across the Congress, Janata Party and other splinter groups find themselves either sidelined or their influence diminished.

No member of either Bansi Lal or Bhajan Lal’s families have been fielded by any major party in the 10 Lok Sabha constituencies of Haryana that go to the polls on May 25. And four members of Devi Lal’s family are duking it out in two seats.

In Hisar, Devi Lal’s son Ranjit Chautala of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is pitted against his daughters-in-law Sunaina Chautala (from the Indian National Lok Dal) and Naina Chautala (from the Jannayak Janata Party). The other major candidate in the Jat-dominated seat is Congress’s Jai Parkash.

And in Kurukshetra, Devi

Lal’s grandson Abhay Chautala is fighting the BJP’S Naveen Jindal and the Aam Aadmi Party’s Sushil Gupta. “The Lal clans have been losing voters’ trust thus reducing their winnability,” said political expert Satish Tyagi.

Bansi Lal first burst into the Haryana political scene in 1967,

becoming the chief minister the next year. He held the position between 1968 and 1975, 1986 and 1987, and 1996 and 1999. A confidante of former PM Indira Gandhi and her son Sanjay Gandhi, he also served as Union defence and railways ministers. He set up the Haryana Vikas

Party in 1996 but returned to the Congress in 2004.

Bhajan Lal Bishnoi first became CM in 1979 and was re-elected in 1982 assembly elections. He won the position for a third time in 1991, after serving as a Union minister under Rajiv Gandhi. His son Kuldeep Bishnoi is a four-time lawmaker currently with the BJP.

Devi Lal served as CM between 1977 and 1979, and then 1987 and 1989, in addition to serving as deputy PM from 1989 to 1990, and 1990 to 1991 He founded the INLD and his son Om Prakash Chautala served as CM for two terms. Former deputy CM Dushyant Chautala is his great grandson.

But in the shifting sands of the 2024 general elections, the might of these political clans appears to have atrophied.

The Congress denied a ticket to Bansi Lal’s granddaughter Shruti Choudhry from Bhiwanimahendergarh. Bhajan Lal’s elder son Chander Mohan was keen to contest from Hisar but was denied a Congress nomination, while his brother Kuldeep Bishnoi could not get a BJP ticket either from Haryana or Rajasthan, two states where Bishnois hold sway.

Kuldeep Bishnoi has not campaigned for the BJP candidate from Hisar, Ranjeet Chautala, and Bansi Lal’s daughterin-law Kiran Choudhry has called a meeting of her workers on Saturday after the Congress declined a party to ticket to her daughter Shruti Choudhry.

Two days ago, Kuldeep Bishnoi said he will work as a BJP worker to ensure the party’s victory in Haryana. However, he has neither met workers nor interacted with media.

Kiran Choudhry could not be reached for a comment , despite repeated attempts.