Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) secretary general Sampat Singh resigned from the party today, citing differences over the way it was being run by the family of former chief minister Om Prakash Chautala.
Singh, who was also the national spokesperson of the INLD, remained associated with the party for 32 years.
The former state finance minister was introduced into politics by late Devi Lal.
Sampat Singh is likely to join Congress shortly although he did not announce anything formally.
His resignation had been accepted by Chautala. Singh announced his decision to quit, saying the party was gripped by feudalism. He charged the Chautala family with sidelining competent leaders in the party.
More leaders are likely to quit INLD before the Assembly elections, due in February-March 2010. But there are rumblings that the ruling Congress was in favour of early elections following its spectacular win the recent Lok Sabha elections (the Congress won nine out of 10 parliamentary seats).
Sampat Singh said his recommendations were never endorsed by Chautala and his son that resulted in losing at least three Lok Sabha constituencies in the general elections.
He said Chautala and his sons never adhered to the policies and principles of Devi Lal, who encouraged mass participation and decentralisation of party cadres.
Just prior to the Lok Sabha polls, former INLD MLA from Kurukshetra, Kailasho Saini, quit the party and joined the Congress after accusing the party chief of nepotism.
Political equations in Haryana are dominated by caste politics. Chautala’s weakness may help Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda to get a bigger share of the Jat vote as both are wooing Jat voters.
In the last assembly elections in 2004, Congress registered a grand victory with 67 out of 90 seats.
The opposition INLD could not make a quoram so Chautala could not become even the leader of opposition in the house.
