Once the undisputed powerhouse of Haryana politics, the Chatuala or Devi Lal clan, which has produced a deputy prime minister, two chief ministers who together ruled the state six times, numerous ministers, and several MLAs, now finds itself battling for political survival and the family members fighting each other to protect their fading political strongholds.
With eight members of the Chautala family contesting in Haryana Assembly elections, five of them are directly pitted against each other. This infighting is emblematic of the clan’s decline from absolute power to mere players in a fragmented electoral battle..
Rania Witnesses Fight Between Oldest and Youngest Chautala
In the rural Rania constituency, Abhay Chautala’s son Arjun, representing the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), faces his grand-uncle, former cabinet minister Ranjit Singh Chautala. This generational face-off is particularly symbolic as it encapsulates the larger struggle within the family. Ranjit Singh, once a stalwart of the Congress and a former ally of the BJP, is now contesting as an independent after being denied a ticket by the ruling party. The 79-year-old veteran politician is locked in a fierce battle with 31-year-old Arjun, with both the BJP and Congress fielding candidates from the Kamboj community, threatening to split the crucial Jat vote and further complicate the outcome.
“I am confident the people of Rania will again support me. My term as a BJP minister was successful, and I delivered development projects for my constituency,” Ranjit Singh confidently asserts in his election rallies. However, Arjun Chautala, the younger face among the Chatuala family contenders, appeals to voters through the family legacy of his great-grandfather Devi Lal, in an attempt to reignite the emotional connection with the grassroots. Arjun Chautala attempts to bridge generational divides by appealing to younger voters, while Ranjit Singh leans heavily on his decades-long political experience and personal rapport with the electorate.
Dabwali, the Chautala family’s traditional stronghold, presents an even more convoluted picture. Three members of the clan are fighting for dominance in this assembly segment, turning the election into a family feud. Ajay Chautala’s younger son, Digvijay Chautala, represents the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), a breakaway faction of the INLD. He is locked in a contest with his cousin Aditya Devi Lal, who recently defected from the BJP to join the INLD, after being denied a ticket by the saffron party. Adding further complexity, Congress candidate Amit Sihag, son of Dr. KV Singh, a distant cousin of Om Prakash Chautala, is also in the race, making it a true family showdown.
The Dabwali seat holds significant political value for the Chautalas, as it was once represented by Ajay Chautala and his wife, Naina Chautala, in successive terms. With all three Chautala candidates banking on family loyalty and personal connections to the electorate, the contest has become a litmus test for the family’s dwindling influence.
“The people of Dabwali know my family’s contribution to the region. We have been here for decades, and I will restore our legacy,” says Digvijay, staking his claim to the constituency that has long been a bastion of the Chautalas.
The Chautalas’ decline mirrors the fortunes of the two main political factions of the family — the INLD and the JJP. Both parties failed to secure any seats in the last Lok Sabha elections, with the INLD securing only 1.84% of the vote and the JJP just 0.87%. In 2019, Devi Lal’s great-grandson, Dushyant Chautala, managed to secure a brief victory by becoming Haryana’s Deputy Chief Minister after his JJP allied with the BJP.
