A sinking INLD receives another jolt with its supremo Om Prakash Chautala’s conviction

Consequently, party’s supporters also followed their respective leaders and the split led to further debacle of INLD, while JJP’s command that was held by a young Dushyant Chautala (Om Prakash Chautala’s grandson and Ajay Chautala’s son) managed to register a significant presence in the State. JJP won 10 seats in 2019 assembly polls and emerged as a kingmaker party as the BJP fell short of majority and had to enter into a post-poll alliance with JJP. Dushyant Chautala bagged the coveted deputy chief minister’s post and also got vital portfolios including Excise and Revenue besides several other important departments. INLD, on the other hand, kept sliding in absence of Om Prakash Chautala. Since he remained in Tihar jail serving 10 year sentence in the infamous JBT teachers recruitment scam, Abhay could not keep the party’s flock together.

In 2009, INLD had 31 seats and was the main opposition political party in Haryana. Om Prakash Chautala was the leader of opposition in the Vidhan Sabha. However, in 2013 he and Ajay Chautala besides 53 others, were convicted on charges of corruption and the party slipped to 19 seats in 2014 assembly polls while BJP created history in the State with 47 seats and formed the government, and Congress was booted out of the power and were left with only 15 seats. Since INLD was the second largest party with 19 MLAs, Abhay Chautala (in absence of Om Prakash Chautala) became the Leader of Opposition.

However, as the time passed and INLD split into INLD and JJP, Abhay Chautala led INLD further slipped. In 2019 assembly polls, INLD lost badly and could retain only one seat – Abhay Chautala – from Ellanabad assembly constituency.

With the Dushyant Chautala led JJP emerging ever since 2019 and INLD on a slide, Om Prakash Chautala’s fresh conviction is going to dent the party’s prospects badly. This is not the only case that is going to impact INLD. There is a separate case of disproportionate assets registered against Abhay Chautala, too. The case is yet going on pending trial and the verdict may be expected soon. If Abhay also faces the same fate as his father, INLD that had been a Chautala-family controlled party will virtually go headless.

The CBI has contended that Abhay owned assets worth over five times his income of Rs 22.89 crore as per income tax records during the 2000-2005 period. The agency also claimed to have found Rs 119.69 crore worth of assets on Abhay Chautala’s name.

Another case of disproportionate assets case was also registered against Om Prakash Chautala’s younger son Ajay Chautala (Dushyant Chautala’s father) in which the CBI had contended that Ajay Chautala possessed assets exceeding his legal income by 339.27 per cent. Ajay Chautala’s legal income between May 1993 and May 2006 was Rs 8.17 crore, but had acquired assets worth Rs 27.7 crore, the CBI had contended.