Chautala, son of former Deputy Prime Minister Chaudhary Devi Lal, served as the Chief Minister of Haryana four times but completed a full five-year term only once.
Political Career Began in 1968
Om Prakash Chautala started his political career in 1968. He contested his first election from his father’s traditional seat, Ellenabad, but faced defeat. Alleging electoral irregularities, he appealed to the High Court. Two years later, in 1970, he won the by-election from the same seat and entered the state assembly for the first time.Resigned as CM Three Times in 15 Months
Chautala first became the Chief Minister of Haryana in December 1989. To retain his position, he contested a by-election from his father’s Mahendragarh seat. His first term lasted only five and a half months, after which Banarsi Das Gupta took over as Chief Minister. After a short time, Om Prakash Chautala won from the Dabwali seat and returned to the assembly. Banarsi Das Gupta was removed from the CM post after 51 days, leading to Chautala’s second term. However, V.P. Singh wanted him to step down while the Mahendragarh case was ongoing, resulting in his resignation after only five days. Master Hukam Singh then became the Chief Minister. In November 1990, following the controversy surrounding the Ram Mandir Rath Yatra, V.P. Singh’s government fell, and Chandra Shekhar took over as Prime Minister. Four months later, in March 1991, Devi Lal appointed Om Prakash Chautala as Chief Minister for the third time. This decision angered some party MLAs, who subsequently left the party, leading to the government’s collapse within 15 days. Within 15 months, Chautala had resigned from the CM post for the third time.
