Fri Dec 20 08:11:31 UTC 2024: ## Veteran Haryana Leader Om Prakash Chautala Passes Away at 89

**Gurgaon, India –** Om Prakash Chautala, a five-time Chief Minister of Haryana and prominent figure in Indian politics, passed away at the age of 89 on [Date of Death – needs to be added from the original source]. He suffered a cardiac arrest at his residence in Gurgaon.

Chautala, born on January 1, 1935, in Sirsa, enjoyed a long and impactful, albeit controversial, political career. His five terms as Chief Minister spanned from 1989 to 2005, punctuated by periods of brief tenures and interruptions due to President’s rule.

However, his career was also marked by legal battles. In 2013, he and his son, Ajay Singh Chautala, were sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for their involvement in a teacher recruitment scam. They were convicted of illegally appointing over 3,000 teachers. Chautala was released prematurely in 2021 under a special remission order. Further legal troubles followed, with a four-year sentence for disproportionate assets in 2022.

The son of former Haryana Chief Minister Devi Lal, Chautala last won a state assembly election in 2009. His political legacy is complex, with his son Abhay Singh Chautala currently leading the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), while another son, Ajay, heads the Janata Jannayak Party. The Chautala family has a strong presence in Haryana politics, with grandsons also holding significant political positions.

Chautala is survived by two sons and three daughters. His passing marks the end of an era in Haryana’s political landscape.

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