CHANDIGARH: The conviction of Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) supremo Om Parkash Chautala, who helmed the Haryana government for four terms, has delivered another setback to the party, which has been trying to review its political fortunes in the state, especially in the run-up to the 2024 polls. The 87-year old, known for his organisational and oratory skills, had been touring the state since he came out of prison last year, in an effort to woo back the INLD’s traditional vote bank comprising the farming community.
However, political experts now feel that his conviction in the disproportionate assets case, in which he was sentenced to four years in jail on Friday, will not generate any sympathy for the INLD. Rather, it can work against the party in the Assembly elections.
Prof Ashutosh Kumar, a political expert in Panjab University, said the people of Haryana are pragmatic. “As INLD is a regional, caste-based and family party, they have to choose one inheritor. Thus, the new leader is Dushyant Chautala, his grandson who floated the JJP -- the breakaway group of INLD,” Kumar said, drawing a parallel with the scenario in the Rashtriya Janata Dal, where Lalu Prasad’s two sons -- Tej Pratap and Tejashwi – came to the fore to control the party, or Samajwadi Party, where Akhilesh Yadav has replaced his father, Mulayam Singh Yadav.
However, the INLD’s fortunes have only declined after Chautala’s son, Abhay, took the reins after his father and also his elder brother, Ajay, were sentenced to jail in the teachers’ recruitment scam. Ajay’s sons, Dushyant and Digvijay, broke away from the INLD due to differences with their uncle. The Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) contested the last Assembly elections and won 10 seats. It formed a coalition government with the BJP in Haryana.