Om Prakash Chautala | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 7th Chief Minister of Haryana | |
| In office 24 July 1999 – 5 March 2005[1] | |
| Preceded by | Bansi Lal |
| Succeeded by | Bhupinder Singh Hooda |
| In office 22 March 1991 – 6 April 1991 | |
| Preceded by | Hukam Singh |
| Succeeded by | President's rule |
| In office 12 July 1990 – 17 July 1990 | |
| Preceded by | Banarsi Das Gupta |
| Succeeded by | Hukam Singh |
| In office 2 December 1989 – 22 May 1990 | |
| Preceded by | Chaudhary Devi Lal |
| Succeeded by | Banarsi Das Gupta |
| Leader of Opposition, Haryana Legislative Assembly | |
| In office 27 February 2005 – 27 October 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Vacant (himself in 1996) |
| Succeeded by | Abhay Singh Chautala |
| President of the Indian National Lok Dal | |
| In office 6 April 2001 – 20 December 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Devi Lal |
| Succeeded by | Abhay Singh Chautala |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Om Prakash Sihag[2] (1935-01-01)1 January 1935 |
| Died | 20 December 2024(2024-12-20) (aged 89) |
| Political party | Indian National Lok Dal |
| Spouse | Sneh Lata Chautala (died 2019) |
| Children | 5, includingAjay Singh Chautala andAbhay Singh Chautala |
| Parent |
|
| Residence(s) | Sirsa district,Haryana |
| Occupation | Agriculturalist |
| Profession | Politician |
Om Prakash Chautala (1 January 1935 – 20 December 2024) was an Indian politician who served as theChief Minister of Haryana from 1999 to 2005.[3] A member of theIndian National Lok Dal (INLD), he became the chief minister of Haryana for five terms. He served as theLeader of the Opposition (LoP) in theHaryana Legislative Assembly from 2005 to 2014. He holds the record for being the oldest prisoner of theTihar Jail, at the age of 89. He was son ofDevi Lal, formerdeputy prime minister of India.[2][4]
Om Prakash Chautala, who belonged to theSihag clan ofJat community,[2] was born on 1 January 1935[5] toDevi Lal,[6][7] the formerDeputy Prime Minister of India.[8][9]
He was married to Sneh Lata, who died in August 2019.[10] Chautala had two sons and three daughters, includingAbhay Singh Chautala andAjay Singh Chautala.[11] Abhay is aMember of theHaryana Legislative Assembly from theEllenabad constituency[12] and has also been theLeader of Opposition in theHaryana Legislative Assembly from October 2014 till March 2019.[13] Chautala's grandson,Dushyant Chautala, has served as theDeputy Chief Minister of Haryana.[13] He is also a formerMember of Parliament in theLok Sabha from theHisar constituency.[14]
Chautala served as theChief Minister of Haryana from 2 December 1989 to 22 May 1990, from 12 July 1990 to 17 July 1990, again from 22 March 1991 to 6 April 1991 and, finally, from 24 July 1999 to 5 March 2005.[1]Om Prakash became the Chief Minister for the first time in 1989, but since he was not a member of the Legislative Assembly, he contested the by-elections three times. When the first election was postponed due to booth-hopping, the second election was cancelled when the independent candidate died. Finally, he won the third by-election held in his native Darba-Kalyan constituency in 1990.
He became the Chief Minister for the first time on 2 December 1989, but was forced to resign on 22 May 1990 after being accused of the death of an independent candidate. Banarasi Das became the Chief Minister in his place.
He was re-elected as the Chief Minister on 12 July 1990, but resigned on 16 July due to pressure from the party. Hukam Singh replaced Om Prakash as the Chief Minister.
Eight months later, on 22 March 1991, Om Prakash again became the Chief Minister, but on 6 April of the same year, he resigned as the Chief Minister after the imposition of President's Rule in Haryana due to political instability.
Eight years later, in 1999, he overthrew the Bansilal government, who was the Chief Minister, and took power again on 24 July 1999 with the support of the BJP. The following year, in the 2000 assembly elections, when the INLD won a majority, the Om Prakash Chautala government again took power on 2 March 2000. Om Prakash, who completed his five-year term until 2005, was the Chief Minister until the INLD was defeated in the 2005 assembly elections. Politically, he had been part ofNDA and Third Front (non-NDA & non-UPA front) at national level.[15]
Chautala was released from theTihar Jail on 2 July 2021 after serving nine and a half years of a 10-year prison sentence.[16] His early release was due to a decision of theDelhi government to reduce prison populations to manage theCOVID-19 pandemic.[17]
Chautala completed his matriculation and intermediate education in 2021 at the age of 87.[18]
In June 2008 OP Chautala and 53 others were charged in connection with the appointment of 3,206 junior basic teachers in the state ofHaryana during 1999–2000. In January 2013 aNew Delhi court sentenced Chautala and his sonAjay Singh Chautala to ten years' imprisonment under various provisions of theIPC and thePrevention of Corruption Act.[19] Chautala was found guilty of illegally recruiting over 3,000 unqualified teachers.[20] ACBI investigation was ordered by the Supreme Court based on a writ filed by the former director of primary education Sanjeev Kumar, a 1989 batch IAS officer.[21][22][23]
His sentence was upheld by theDelhi High Court and the Supreme Court.[24]
Chautala was given a four-year jail term on 27 May 2022 in a 16-year-old disproportionate assets case by the Delhi CBI Court,[25] making him, aged 87 at the time, the oldest prisoner of theTihar Jail.[26] Along with the jail time, the court also imposed a fine of₹50 lakh.[27]
Chautala died from cardiac arrest at hisGurgaon residence, on 20 December 2024, at the age of 89.[28] His last rites were performed on 21 December in Teja Khera village.[29]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Chief Minister of Haryana 2 December 1989 - 22 May 1990 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chief Minister of Haryana 12 July 1990 - 17 July 1990 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chief Minister of Haryana 22 March 1991 - 6 April 1991 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chief Minister of Haryana 24 July 1999 - 5 March 2005 | Succeeded by |
