Chandigarh
After nearly two decades of political decline and internal strife, the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), which has just two MLAs in the current 90-member Haryana Assembly, is making a determined attempt to revive itself by organising a ‘Samman Diwas Samaroh’ rally in Rohtak on the birth anniversary of former Deputy Prime Minister Devi Lal on Wednesday.
Once a dominant force in State politics under the leadership of Om Prakash Chautala, the INLD has been out of power in Haryana since 2005. INLD is eyeing to make footprints in the party’s traditional Jat vote bank especially in the old Rohtak region (comprising Rohtak, Sonepat and Jhajjar) , which supported Congress led by former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda in the past Assembly elections.
This is the first big event being held by the Chautala family since the death of former Haryana Chief Minister and Devi Lal’s son Om Prakash Chautala in December 2024. INLD ruled the state thrice from 1977 to 1979, 1987 to 1990, and 1999 to 2005.
Being out of power for around two decades and hit by a revolt by Ajay Chautala’s family which led to a slit in the party and and formation of the JJP in 2018, the INLD has been pushed to political oblivion in the State over the years with two MLAs in 2024 and a lone MLA in the 2019 Assembly elections. Through this rally, INLD, under the leadership of its senior leader Abhay Chautala, is poised for a major comeback and reclaim its former prominence in Haryana’s political arena.
There has been a blow hot and cold political relationship between the Chautala family and people of Rohtak, known as the political capital of Haryana for the past five decades. Chautala’s renewed focus on Rohtak is seen as a strategic attempt to tap into the reported ‘disappointment’ among the people of Rohtak—especially Jats—who had pinned hopes on senior Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda in the last many Assembly polls.
Until the BJP emerged as a force in Haryana in 2014, the traditional rivalry had been between the Congress and the INLD, with Jats historically siding with the latter during the leadership of Devi Lal, who got elected from the Meham Assembly segment in 1987 and as MP from Rohtak in 1989. But he lost three successive Lok Sabha elections from Rohtak to Hooda—in 1991, 1996, and 1998.
Now, the entire focus to make the rally a success and bring the party’s performance on track has shifted to Abhay Chautala, former Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Haryana assembly. After a vertical split in the Chautala clan in 2018, the INLD failed to open its account in Lok Sabha polls in 2019 and 2024 while its tally stood at one and two in 2019 and 2024 assembly polls respectively. The party’s face Abhay Singh also lost from his strong yard Ellenabad in last year assembly polls.
Talking to Reporters, Abhay Chautala said that old Rohtak (comprising Rohtak, Sonepat and Jhajjar) has always blessed Choudhary Devi Lal and OP Chautala and his family has emotional connection with the people of this region. “The wind of change has blown and people of old Rohtak are coming back to their traditional fold INLD. This rally will break all records in terms of gathering and we have expanded the tent size. It is very tough for me to lead the rally in Chautala sahab’s absence,” he added.
He further said that the party workers have vowed to revive the INLD by reconnecting with grassroots workers and reaching out to leaders who were once close to Om Prakash Chautala. “All our workers have returned to the INLD. The JJP is finished. Even some of their office-bearers have joined us,” Chautala added.
Moreover, the INLD’s political journey has been on a steady decline since the 2009 assembly elections. In 2009, the party won 31 seats in the 90-member Haryana assembly, positioning itself as the main opposition. However, in 2014, it secured only 19 seats as the BJP surged to power with 47 seats. In 2018, a major split occurred within the party when Dushyant Chautala, grandson of Om Prakash Chautala, broke away to form the Jannayak Janata Party following a family feud. The JJP went on to align with the BJP after the 2019 assembly elections, securing a role in the state government. The INLD and JJP are not just political parties but with them attached is former deputy PM Devi Lal’s political legacy. The 2024 assembly elections were another disappointment for the INLD, as the party failed to make any significant gains and could win just two seats—Abhay’s son, Arjun Chautala, won from Rania and his cousin, Aditya Devilal, from Dabwali.
Political observers opined that the year 2025 is not 2005. During these 20 years, several prominent party leaders have quit the INLD, and many of these are now politically well settled in other parties. The split in the INLD in 2018 had further weakened the party. The political base of the INLD has already shifted to other parties like Congress and BJP, particularly in its stronghold districts like Sirsa, Hisar, Jind, Bhiwani, Kaithal, Kurukshetra, Nuh and Yamunanagar. In the previous Assembly election, the JJP is believed to have paid a price for Dushyant staying on with the BJP at the height of the farmers’ agitation in 2020 against three laws passed by the Centre. Abhay Chautala, on the other hand, resigned as an MLA in protest against the laws, earning the goodwill of the agrarian communities, they added.
