Devi Lal

In 1989, one man won two Lok Sabha seats. They were in two different states, in the same election. He became Deputy Prime Minister the same year.

Chaudhary Devi Lal, former Deputy Prime Minister of India. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

MCQ Questions

ModHist0280

Devi Lal

In 1989, he won Lok Sabha seats in two different states, in the same election.

1914

Born in Teja Khera, Sirsa

Joins a Lala Lajpat Rai protest in 1928. Jailed separately in 1930, and again in 1942 during Quit India.

21 June 1977

Becomes Haryana‘s Chief Minister

His first of two terms. Farmers give him the title “Tau,” meaning elder uncle.

1989

Wins two Lok Sabha seats at once

Sikar (Rajasthan) and Rohtak (Haryana), in the same election. Becomes Deputy Prime Minister the same year.

1996

Founds the Indian National Lok Dal

Founded as Haryana Lok Dal, renamed INLD in 1998. Dies 6 April 2001, aged 86.

One election, two states, one man: Winning Lok Sabha seats from both Sikar (Rajasthan) and Rohtak (Haryana) in 1989 remains one of the rarer feats in Indian electoral history.

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📑 Contents

1From Punjab MLA to Twice Chief Minister
2“Tau,” and a Legacy Built on Farm Policy
3Test Yourself
4Three Seats, Two Prime Ministers

From Punjab MLA to Twice Chief Minister Need to Know

Chaudhary Devi Lal was born on 25 September 1914, in Teja Khera village, Sirsa district. This is now in Haryana.
He joined a protest led by Lala Lajpat Rai in 1928. He was jailed separately in 1930, for civil disobedience activity, and again in 1942, during the Quit India movement.
He served three terms as a Punjab Legislative Assembly member, from 1952 to 1966, before Haryana split off as its own state.
He served as Haryana’s Chief Minister twice. His first term ran from 21 June 1977 to 28 June 1979. His second ran from 17 July 1987 to 2 December 1989.
He played a key role in Haryana’s formation as a separate state, in 1966.
In the 1989 general election, he contested three Lok Sabha seats at once. He won Sikar, in Rajasthan, and Rohtak, in Haryana, while placing third in Ferozepur, Punjab.
He became Deputy Prime Minister on 2 December 1989. He served under two Prime Ministers, V.P. Singh and Chandra Shekhar, until 21 June 1991.
He founded a party in 1996, later renamed the Indian National Lok Dal in 1998.
He died on 6 April 2001, in New Delhi, aged 86.

“Tau,” and a Legacy Built on Farm Policy Good to Know

Farmers gave him the affectionate title “Tau,” meaning elder uncle, for his folksy style and his advocacy on rural and agrarian issues.
As Chief Minister, Haryana under him was reportedly the first Indian state to introduce an old-age pension scheme, later adopted nationally.
He also ran a “grain for work” scheme for the rural poor, sometimes described as an early precursor to later national employment-guarantee programmes.
As Deputy Prime Minister, he pushed for the 1990 Union Budget’s national farm loan waiver, a nationally significant policy.
He led the party he founded until around 1999, when leadership passed to his son, Om Prakash Chautala. He was elected to the Rajya Sabha in August 1998.
His son, Om Prakash Chautala, later served as Haryana’s Chief Minister five times.

Test Yourself

Three Seats, Two Prime Ministers Great to Know

Don’t confuse his two Deputy PM terms as one continuous stretch. The first ran from 2 December 1989 to 1 August 1990, under V.P. Singh. The second ran from 10 November 1990 to 21 June 1991, under Chandra Shekhar. There was a gap of over three months between them.
That gap was not incidental. He was dropped from the V.P. Singh cabinet amid a Janata Dal split. He then helped lead the rebellion that brought down Singh’s government, and was reinstated once Chandra Shekhar became Prime Minister.
Winning multiple Lok Sabha seats in different states, in the same election, is legally allowed but rare. A winner must resign all but one seat afterward, since a person can hold only one Lok Sabha seat at a time.
His political dynasty continued well beyond his own career. Both his son and grandson have gone on to hold high office in Haryana politics.

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