Abhay Singh Chautala (born 14 February 1963) is an Indian politician. He is member of the Haryana Legislative Assembly from Ellenabad. He served as leader of the opposition in Haryana Legislative Assembly from 2014 to 2019. He has been elected to the Haryana Legislative Assembly for four terms since 2010. He served as the 10th president of Indian Olympic Association. He also served as president of the Boxing Federation of India. He is grandson of Devi Lal, former deputy prime minister of India. He is a member of the Indian National Lok Dal.[2][3][4][5]
Chautala was born on 14 February 1963 in Chautala village of Sirsa district in the Indian state of Haryana. He studied at S.M. Hindu Senior Secondary School, Sonipat. He did Bachelor of Arts from Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University. He has represented the state eight times in the national volleyball championship and won numerous medals.[2][6][7]
Chautala started his political career by getting elected as Upsarpanch (Deputy Sarpanch) of Chautala village. His notable ascent in the political arena came to the forefront in the year 2000 when he helped his father to clinch victory from Haryana's Rori Assembly constituency under the banner of the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD).[7] During his tenure as the representative of his constituency, Chautala oversaw the establishment of the Chaudhary Devi Lal Memorial College in Panniwala Mota, dedicated to engineering education.[citation needed]
In 2005, Chautala became the president of the District Council of Sirsa. In 2010, he emerged victorious in the Ellenabad Assembly constituency by-election following the arrest of his father, Om Prakash Chautala and his brother, Ajay Singh Chautala.
After securing re-election as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in 2014, Chautala assumed the role of the Leader of Opposition within the Haryana Legislative Assembly. During the 2014 Indian general elections, Chautala guided the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) to secure 2 Lok Sabha seats amidst a formidable electoral surge favouring the Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party wave.
On 27 January 2021, Chautala resigned as the sole MLA from the party citing the BJP-led Union government’s refusal to accept farmers’ demands.[8][9] He was later re-elected from the Ellenabad constituency in a bypoll election on 2 November 2021.[10]
In April 2024, Chautala was nominated by his party to contest the 2024 Indian general election from the Kurukshetra constitiuency of Haryana, but he lost the election to Naveen Jindal of the Bharatiya Janata Party.[11][12]
Chautala implemented a policy that enhanced sports and games in the state. The policy includes sports quota reservations for government jobs and educational institutions, diet allowances for sports professionals, and attractive prizes for international medal winners. Additionally, he established rural stadiums and coaching institutions across various regions. As a result of his achievements in sports, Chautala was elected to prominent positions within reputable sports organizations.
He married Supriya in March 1987, but tragically, she passed away under suspicious circumstances at the age of 19 on 11 November 1988. Later, he married Kanta Chautala and has two sons, Karan Singh Chautala and Arjun Singh Chautala.[2][7][22]