Haryana's all 3 Lal dynasties find home in BJP

Tribune News Service

Pradeep Sharma

Chandigarh, June 19

For the first time in the history of state politics, the families of three “Lals” of Haryana are in the BJP. With this, the much-touted dynastic politics narrative of the BJP seems to have gone for a toss with the entry of three political families of former Chief Ministers — Devi Lal, Bhajan Lal and Bansi Lal.

Will blunt BJP’s dynastic politics narrative

The entry of members of three prominent families in the BJP will blunt the dynastic politics narrative of the saffron party. With the influence of the dynasties waning over the years, members of these families are joining the BJP, which is in power at the Centre and Haryana to safeguard their bastions. —Kushal Pal, Political Analyst & Principal

Endorsement of BJP policies

The joining of the family members of the three Lals in the BJP is the endorsement of the party’s policies and development works under the fourth Lal — Manohar Lal Khattar — and current Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini in Haryana. —Rajeev Jaitley, BJP spokesman

The development, which may provide a much-needed morale booster to the saffron party, will have wide-ranging implications for the October Assembly elections in Haryana.

With the entry of Kiran Choudhry, Tosham MLA and daughter-in-law of former Chief Minister Bansi Lal, considered to be the architect of modern Haryana, into the BJP, the process of the dynasts joining the BJP seems to have been completed.

Besides Bansi Lal, the families of former Chief Ministers Bhajan Lal and Devi Lal are also currently under the BJP umbrella. Kuldeep Bishnoi, former MP and son of Bhajan Lal, was the first to join the BJP in 2022. His son, Bhavya Bishnoi, is the BJP MLA from Adampur in Hisar.

Similarly, Ranjit Singh, Haryana Energy Minister and son of Devi Lal, unsuccessfully contested the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections from Hisar parliamentary constituency on the BJP ticket. He joined the party just ahead of the recent Lok Sabha polls. Ranjit Singh is the son of Devi Lal. Meanwhile, Aditya Devi Lal, a grandson of Devi Lal, who is the president of the Hisar district unit of the BJP, has been in the party since past few years.

In the past, the BJP has been the junior partner of the Bansi Lal Government and Om Prakash Chautala Government. During the Bhajan Lal regime, the BJP has been in the Opposition.

However, 2014 was the turning point in the history of Haryana when the BJP formed government on its own. The JJP, which is headed by Ajay Chautala, a grandson of Devi Lal, was the alliance partner of the BJP from 2019 to 2024. Dushyant Chautala, son of Ajay Chautala, was the Deputy Chief Minister of Haryana from 2019 to 2024.

In fact, life seems to have come full circle for the members of the three Lal families, which ruled Haryana for a number of years. Now, members of these families are making beeline to join the BJP in an apparent bid to keep themselves relevant in Haryana politics.

“The entry of the members of three prominent families in the BJP will blunt the dynastic politics narrative of the saffron party. With the influence of the dynasties waning over the years, members of these families are joining the BJP which is in power at the Centre and Haryana to safeguard their bastions,” Kushal Pal, political analyst and principal of Indira Gandhi National College, Ladwa (Kurukshetra), said.

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