The recent Haryana legislative assembly elections have caught political pundits’ attention for more than just the Congress party’s unexpected defeat. Amidst the din of Congress’s surprising slump when power seemed ready for delivery on a silver platter, a more significant shift went largely unnoticed: the decline of clan politics in a state where family names have long been electoral trump cards.
For the first time since Haryana's formation as a separate state on November 2, 1966, the progeny of the state's three famous Lals — Bansi Lal, Devi Lal, and Bhajan Lal — were forced to bite the dust. This electoral outcome has virtually pulled the curtain down on dynastic politics, delivering a clear message that lineage alone is no longer sufficient for electoral success.
The three Lals dominated Haryana politics for nearly three decades in the state's first 33 years. Bansi Lal served as chief minister for 11 years and 283 days across four tenures, while Bhajan Lal ruled for slightly longer — 11 years and 300 days over three terms. Devi Lal had two briefer stints totalling 4 years and 172 days. When combined with the tenure of Devi Lal's son, Om Prakash Chautala, to whom he handed the reins as he moved to national politics eventually serving as deputy prime minister, the three families' cumulative rule extends to an impressive 34 years and 205 days.
The most dramatic reversal of fortunes was witnessed by the Bhajan Lal family. Their stronghold, the Adampur constituency, slipped from their grasp as Bhajan Lal's grandson, Bhavya Bishnoi, lost by a mere 1,268 votes. This defeat is particularly significant given the family's historical dominance — Bhajan Lal had won the seat seven times, his wife Jasma Devi once in 1987, and their son Kuldeep Bishnoi four times. Even Kuldeep's wife had won this seat once, making it truly a family bastion. The family's sole consolation was the victory of Bhajan Lal's elder son, Chander Mohan, in Panchkula by a narrow margin of 1,997 votes as a Congress nominee — a man once disowned by his father following a controversial marriage and religious conversion during his tenure as deputy chief minister in 2008 when he renamed himself as Chand Mohammad.
The Devi Lal family faced the harshest verdict, with five of seven family members losing their contests. Devi Lal's younger son Ranjit Singh, contesting as an independent from Rania after being denied a BJP ticket, finished third despite polling 36,401 votes. The seat was won by his grand-nephew Arjun Chautala of INLD, while BJP's nominee Sheeshpal Kamboj finished fourth with 15,707 votes, suggesting BJP might have won had they backed Ranjit Singh.
Arjun's father, Abhay Singh Chautala, lost Ellenabad by 15,000 votes despite winning it four times consecutively. The most notable casualty was former Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala, who finished fifth in Uchana Kalan with just 7,950 votes, forfeiting his deposit. His younger brother Digvijay Singh Chautala fared slightly better, finishing third at Dabwali. Their uncle Aditya Devilal (son of Devi Lal's youngest son Jagdish) won his contest after switching from BJP to INLD. Devi Lal's daughter-in-law Sunaina Chautala, wife of his third son Pratap Singh, finished a distant third in Fatehabad, losing by over 76,000 votes with just 9,681 votes to her name.
The family feud within the Chautala clan proved costly. Abhay Singh Chautala, who had won his seat four times consecutively, lost. His chief ministerial ambitions had contributed to the vertical split in Om Prakash Chautala's family, with his nephew Dushyant seen as a rival. The split led to the formation of JJP, which initially seemed a masterstroke but ultimately proved detrimental to both factions.
The Bansi Lal family maintained some influence, though with diminished glory. In Tosham constituency, historically a family stronghold where Bansi Lal won five times, followed by his son Surender Singh thrice and Surender's wife Kiran Choudhry four times, witnessed an interesting family contest. Bansi Lal's granddaughter Shruti Choudhry, a former Lok Sabha MP, won as a BJP nominee, defeating her cousin Anirudh Chaudhary by over 14,000 votes. Shruti is the daughter of Surendra and Kiran Choudhry, while Anirudh is the son of Bansi Lal’s second son former BCCI president Ranbir Singh Mahendra, who is more famous as a cricket administrator. Bansi Lal's son-in-law Somvir Singh Sheoran, a former MLA, faced defeat in Badhra constituency as a Congress nominee.
Other prominent political families saw mixed results. Brijendra Singh, a descendant of the legendary farmer leader Chaudhary Chhotu Ram on whose name every Haryana Jat still swears, and son of veteran leader Chaudhary Birender Singh, lost by a mere 32 votes in Uchana Kalan to his former party BJP.
Meanwhile, Arti Singh Rao, granddaughter of former political heavyweight Rao Birender Singh and daughter of federal minister Rao Inderjit Singh, secured a narrow victory in Ateli by 3,085 votes. However, this win seems more reflective of her father's failing political leverage than her own electoral appeal as he succeeded in getting the BJP ticket for his daughter after threatening to break ties with the party. They belong to the royal Yaduvanshi Ahir family of Rewari and are considered the supreme leader of the Yadavs in Haryana.
This election marks a watershed moment in Haryana's politics. The verdict is unequivocal — the days of dynastic and caste-based politics are waning. A powerful surname and illustrious lineage no longer guarantee electoral success. The outcome suggests a fundamental shift in voter behaviour, where performance and merit are increasingly prioritised over pedigree.
Ajay Jha is a senior journalist, author and political commentator
