Former CM Om Prakash Chautala's INLD stares at bleak future

The saga of electoral debacles for the Indian National Lok Dal led by former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala continued as the party was once again headed for a defeat in the general elections.

After a vertical split in the party last year following feud in the Chautala family, INLD's political graph in Haryana further nosedived.

The party had fielded its candidates on all the 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana, but going by the Election Commission trends until evening, INLD candidates have performed poorly and were relegated to fifth spot on a few seats.

Even its sitting MP from Sirsa Charanjeet Singh Rori was trailing at fourth spot, going by the trends.

The BSP, an ally of the INLD which walked out from the alliance after the party split, had put up a comparatively better performance than Chautala-led party.

Even the fledgling JJP was ahead of the INLD on many seats, including Hisar, Sirsa, Sonipat, Kurukshetra and Bhiwani-Mahendergarh.

In 2014, the INLD had won two Lok Sabha seats of Hisar and Sirsa, the BJP won seven out of eight it contested while the Congress had won the Rohtak seat.

The INLD was erstwhile partner of the BJP and the two parties ran a coalition government led by former chief minister Chautala (1999-2004). However, later the alliance ended due to differences.

Seen as a major challenger to the ruling BJP until six months back, the INLD has been going through rough times ever since the party split.

The INLD had been stung by desertions following a vertical split and suffered a bypoll defeat when it failed to hold on to the Jind seat.

A few of the party's sitting MLAs, including Ranbir Gangwa and Kehar Singh, had joined the BJP weeks before the Lok Sabha polls and Abhay Chautala was removed as Leader of Opposition as the party's strength came down to 15 MLAs in the 90-member House, lesser than Congress' 17 MLAs.

Four INLD MLAs had already switched sides and announced their support to the JJP, which was formed after the split in the INLD last year.

Hisar MP Dushyant Chautala, elder son of Abhay Chautala's brother Ajay Chautala, had launched the JJP last year.

However, even the JJP failed to reap much electoral gains in these elections and according to political experts, had the INLD not split, it could have put up a better performance.

The INLD, founded by late deputy prime minister Devi Lal and headed by former chief minister Om Prakash Chautala, has been out of power in Haryana for over 14 years now.

The party has very little time left to pull its socks as the Assembly polls are due in Haryana in October.