However, in an apparent bid to maintain their political relevance, the members of these families are now contesting elections against one other.

According to Pawan Kumar Bansal, author of Haryana Ke Lalon Ke Sabrange Kisse, a book focused on the key events, personal anecdotes and political battles involving the three Lals and their families, Haryana’s political landscape has been significantly influenced by Bansi Lal, Devi Lal and Bhajan Lal.

“These leaders have dominated not just state politics, but also made their mark on the national stage. The descendants of the three ‘Lals’ are active in the electoral fray, claiming stake to their respective legacies. Bhajan Lal’s descendant, Bhavya, is contesting from Adampur. Interestingly, in Bhiwani, the descendants of Bansi Lal, and in Sirsa, those of Devi Lal, are up against each other. It remains to be seen which legacy the people will endorse,” Bansal said when contacted by The Print.

Shivansh Mishra, a political analyst based in New Delhi and founder-host of Lokniti Podcast, said that the upcoming assembly elections are set to be significantly impacted by the families of the Lals.

“These families have been central to Haryana’s political landscape since the state’s formation in 1966, with each family producing multiple chief ministers and influential leaders. The Lals, especially Devi Lal, who was a prominent Jat leader, have historically garnered strong support from the Jat community,” Mishra told ThePrint. “Devi Lal’s leadership as a deputy prime minister and his role in establishing the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) solidified Jat political power in Haryana. His legacy continues through his descendants, who are active in regional politics.”

He added that Bhajan Lal, a non-Jat leader, played a crucial role in diversifying political representation in Haryana, and his ability to build coalitions across caste lines allowed him to secure major electoral victories, often aligning with various factions to maintain power.

The upcoming elections will feature intense rivalries not only among family members, but also between Jat and non-Jat candidates.

Mishra said that although the descendants of the Lals were already in the political arena, the rise of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the state has further complicated the dynamics, as the current ruling party seeks to consolidate power by aligning with these descendants, while presenting itself as an appealing option to both Jat and non-Jat voters.

The evolving political landscape reflects a broader struggle for representation and influence among Haryana’s diverse communities, he added.

Also Read: OBCs, Jats, Muslims: How caste equations figure in BJP, Congress ticket distribution in Haryana

The mighty Lals

Devi Lal served as the deputy prime minister of India from 1989 to 1991, except for a small break when PM V.P. Singh dropped him from his Cabinet following the violence in Haryana’s Meham during a bypoll in 1990. He was also the state’s chief minister in the periods 1977-1979 and 1987-1989.

Bansi Lal and Bhajan Lal alternated as chief minister—Bansi Lal in 1972-1977, 1986-1987 and 1996-1999, and Bhajan Lal in 1979-1986 and 1991-1996.

Since 2005, no member of these three families has been able to secure the chief ministerial position.

Though Bhajan Lal and Devi Lal’s families have held the post of deputy chief minister and played the purported role of ‘kingmakers’, they haven’t been able to reclaim the top position.

Devi Lal’s family tree

Devi Lal had four sons—Om Prakash Chautala, Ranjit Singh, Partap Singh and Jagdish Chander. 

Chautala has been elected as the chief minister of Haryana four times: December 1989-May 1990, 12 July 1990-17 July 1990, 22 March 1991-6 April 1991, and July 1999-March 2005. He is now ineligible to contest because of his conviction in the teachers’ recruitment scam in 2013. He has, however, completed his jail term. 

His brother, Ranjit, is contesting as an independent candidate from Rania in Sirsa. The other two brothers, Partap and Jagdish, have passed away.

Chautala has two sons and three daughters. His son Ajay is also presently ineligible to contest elections because of his conviction in a teachers’ recruitment scam, while Abhay is contesting from Ellenabad as an INLD candidate. His daughter Anjali Singh’s son, Kunal Karan Singh, is the INLD candidate for the Tohana seat.

Ajay’s sons, Dushyant and Digvijay are contesting as Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) candidates from the Uchana and Dabwali constituencies respectively, while Abhay’s son Arjun is contesting from Rania on an INLD ticket.

Partap’s son Ravi is with Abhay’s INLD. Ravi’s wife, Sunaina, is the INLD candidate for Fatehabad. Jagdish’s son Aditya Devilal is the INLD candidate for Dabwali seat.

Amit Sihag—grandson of Devi Lal’s cousin, Ganpat Ram, and son of Dr K.V. Singh, former officer-on-special duty to Devi Lal and Bhupinder Singh Hooda during their respective regimes as CM—is a Congress candidate from Dabwali.

Infighting among Devi Lal’s descendants

Nine members of Devi Lal’s family are contesting the elections. In Dabwali alone, three family members are in direct competition. Aditya Devilal (INLD), and his nephews Digvijay (JJP) and Amit Sihag (Congress), are gearing up for a face-off.

In the Rania constituency, Ranjit is competing against grandnephew Arjun. Ranjit was a minister in Manohar Lal Khattar and Nayab Saini’s Cabinets, but was denied a ticket by the BJP. He is now an independent candidate, while Arjun is representing the INLD.

Dushyant’s JJP has said that it has not fielded a candidate against Ranjit with the understanding that he will help the JJP in Dabwali, where Digvijay is a candidate.

In this year’s Lok Sabha polls, members of Devi Lal’s family contested from three different parties—BJP, JJP and INLD—for the Hisar Lok Sabha seat. All three lost the election. The contest was between Ranjit (BJP), his sister-in-law Naina (JJP), and another relative, Sunaina (INLD).

Also Read: 3 mighty Lals shaped Haryana politics for decades. How BJP has co-opted their descendants

Bansi Lal clan: Contest between cousins

Bansi Lal had two sons—Ranbir Mahendra and Surender Singh. After younger son Surender died in an air crash in 2005, his wife Kiran Choudhry shifted her political base to Haryana from Delhi, where she previously served as the Deputy Speaker.

In the Tosham assembly constituency of Bhiwani district, on one side is Anirudh Chaudhary (Congress), son of Ranbir Mahendra, and on the other is Shruti Chaudhry (BJP), daughter of Surender Singh.

Shruti and her mother Kiran had joined the BJP after quitting Congress following the Lok Sabha elections. Kiran is a BJP Rajya Sabha MP.

Additionally, Bansi Lal’s son-in-law, Sombir Sheoran, is a Congress candidate for Badhra assembly seat in Bhiwani.

Candidates from Bhajan Lal’s family

Three members of the Bhajan Lal clan are also in the fray.

His eldest son, Chander Mohan, is contesting from Panchkula on a Congress ticket, while Bhavya Bishnoi, son of Bhajan Lal’s younger son Kuldeep Bishnoi, has the BJP’s ticket to defend Adampur, which has been a stronghold of the Bishnoi family for 56 years. The first election here was won by Bhajan Lal in 1967, and since then, the family has continued to contest and win this seat.

Bhajan Lal’s nephew, Dura Ram, is BJP’s candidate for the Fatehabad seat.

Previous instances of rivalry

In the 1998 Lok Sabha elections, members of Bansi Lal’s family had faced off against each other. He and his younger son Surender were leading the Haryana Vikas Party, while his elder son, Ranbir Mahendra, was with the Congress at the time.

Surender and Mahendra were up against each other for election to the Bhiwani seat. Surender won the election, while Mahendra finished third. Devi Lal’s grandson, Ajay Chautala, had stood second.

Later, in 2000, the Rori assembly seat saw former chief minister Om Prakash Chautala contesting against his younger brother Ranjit, who was a Congress candidate. Chautala won the election by over 23,000 votes.

Again, in 2009, Ajay (INLD) contested from Dabwali, while his cousin Ravi was an independent candidate. Ajay won the election with over 64,700 votes, defeating K.V. Singh of Congress by about 12,000 votes, while Ravi managed to secure just 8,344 votes.

(Edited by Mannat Chugh)

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