Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), English Indian National People’s Party, regional political party of Haryana state, northwest-central India. The party’s focus has been principally in the state, and it has had only a limited presence on the national political scene in New Delhi. Its power base has been principally in the traditional Jat (peasant caste) heartland in central and west-central Haryana. INLD was constituted in the year 1998 and under supervision of Ch. Om Parkash Chautala it is constantly working for the welfare of the society.
INLD is dedicated to the all-round uplift of farmers, labourers, rural and urban areas and the downtrodden and exploited. It draws inspiration from Gandhian principles, our rich heritage and the noble traditions of our struggle for national independence. The Indian National Lok Dal is a political party run on the basis of kinship networks. It was the brainchild of Om Prakash Chautala's father, Devi Lal. Having been a renowned freedom fighter and a former Chief Minister of Haryana, Devi Lal was a revered figure among the masses. Though his son Om Prakash Chautala, also a former Chief Minister of Haryana, was the founder of the INLD, all major decisions regarding the welfare of the society, and especially regarding the peasants, were taken by Devi Lal. Om Prakash's son Ajay Singh Chautala is the Secretary-General of the INLD.
After its formation the party was a part of a coalition headed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that in 1999 became known as the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). As the HLD(R) the party won four seats in the 1998 elections to the Lok Sabha (lower chamber of the Indian parliament), and as the INLD it won five seats in the 1999 polls. Also in 1999 Chautala, with the support of the BJP, became the chief minister of the state for the fourth time. He was in office little more than half a year before early elections to the state’s legislative assembly were announced.
In the Lok Sabha elections 1999 INLD had an electoral alliance with BJP in Haryana. Each party contested five of the ten seats in the state. All ten got elected. In 2000 Chautala was elected as Chief Minister of Haryana for the fifth time. In the 2000 state assembly elections in 2000 INLD won 47 out of the 90 seats (in total the party had 62 candidates). Later INLD broke its relations with BJP, and left NDA and the government.
The Election Symbol of the Indian National Lok Dal, as approved by the Election Commission of India, is the “spectacles” (or chashma in Hindi). This is a significant political symbol for a party that claims to work for the poor people. The INLD claims to be the voice of the farmers, peasants and the oppressed sections of the society. In the states where it has a visible presence, the INLD follows the Gandhian ideals of non-violent resistance and democratic dissent. The INLD also claims to have rescued the state of Haryana from sheer lawlessness in 1999, when Chautala came to power and solved the crisis in the state.
Contact Details and Address of INLD
Official Website of INLD: http://indiannationallokdal.com/
Head-Office Address of INLD: 18, Janpath Road, Delhi - 110001
Contact Number: (011) 23782650