End of the road for Chautala's INLD?

Updated - September 23, 2017 12:52 pm IST

Scene at the residence of INLD leader Ajay Singh Chautala during the counting of votes. Photo: Shanker Chakravarty

Scene at the residence of INLD leader Ajay Singh Chautala during the counting of votes. Photo: Shanker Chakravarty

With his party facing decimation and after losing his own seat of Thanesar, the Indian National Lok Dal's (INLD) president Ashok Arora has resigned, taking moral responsibility for the party's defeat in the election. The other blow to the party came from Uchana Kalan from where Dushyant Chautala the party's young star lost to Prem Lata of the BJP. He is the Lok Sabha MP from Hissar and was contesting from his grand father Om Prakash Chautala's seat as the latter cannot contest elections due to a conviction.

The INLD, which was hoping to replace the Congress in Haryana and its jailed supremo Om Prakash Chautala even "misused" a bail given to him on medical reasons by addressing a series of election rallies. After ten years out of power, the INLD was looking at winning this election to bounce back on the state's political scene. It was hit by a series of desertions in the run up to the elections, as several left the party to join either the BJP or the Congress. Its efforts to strike an alliance with the BJP also failed as the saffron party did not show any inclination.

The regional outfit floated by Chaudhary Devi Lal, is presently passing through its worst period as its two top leaders, namely Mr Chautala and his elder son Ajay Chautala are in jail after being convicted in a teachers recruitment scam. With the remaining top leaders either losing or facing defeat, party is clearly staring at a bleak future.

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