Bansi Lal Legha (26 August 1927 – 28 March 2006) was an Indian independence activist, senior Congress leader, Chief Minister of Haryana, former Defence Minister of India, and the architect of modern Haryana.^[1] Bansi Lal was part of the famous Lal trio of Haryana which also included 'Tau' Devi Lal and Bhajan Lal, that form the major Political families of Haryana.^[2]

Lal was elected to the Haryana State Assembly seven times, the first time in 1967 from Tosham. He served three separate terms as Chief Minister of Haryana: 1968–75, 1986–87, and 1996–99. Bansi Lal was considered a close confidante of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and her son Sanjay Gandhi during the Emergency era of 1975-1977. ^[2]

He served as the Defence Minister of India from December 1975 to March 1977, and had a brief stint as a Minister without Portfolio in the Union government in 1975. He also held the Railways and Transport portfolios.

He set up Haryana Vikas Party after parting ways with the Indian National Congress in 1996. He returned to Congress in 2004, and helped the Congress to win the 2005 Assembly elections.^[2]

He was born on 26 August 1927 to Choudhary Mohar Singh and Shrimati Vidya Devi^[3] belonging to Hindu Jat community^[4] in the village of Golagarh in Bhiwani district, British Punjab (now Haryana). Following his marriage, Lal had two sons, Surender Singh, and Ranbir Singh Mahendra.^[5]

The mother of Bansi Lal belongs to the Village Rudrol of Charkhi Dadri district of Haryana, India.

Bansi Lal did his BA in arts, followed by LLB (law degree), for which he studied at the Punjab University Law College, Jalandhar.^[3]

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• Lal was secretary of Parja mandal in the Loharu State, from 1943 to 1944.
• Lal was president of the Bar Association, Bhiwani from 1957 to 1958. He was president of the District Congress Committee, Hisar, from 1959 to 1962 and later became a member of the Congress Working Committee and Congress Parliamentary Board.
• He was a member of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee between 1958 and 1962.
• He was Haryana's Chief Minister : from 1968 to 1975 (Congress), 1985 to 1987 (Congress), and 1996 to 1999 with Haryana Vikas Party.
• He was the Defence Minister of India from December 1975 to March 1977.
• He was also the chairman of the Committee of Parliament and Committee on Public Undertakings, 1980–82, and the Committee on Estimates, 1982–84.
• He became Railways minister of India on 31 December 1984 in Rajiv Gandhi's ministry and later minister for transport.
• He was elected to the Haryana State Assembly five times from Tosham (1967, 1972, 1986 bye-poll, 1991, 1996). He lost once from Tosham in 1987 Devi Lal wave, just a few months after winning the seat with more than 80,000 votes in 1986.^[6]
• He was a Rajya Sabha member from 1960 to 1966 and 1976 to 1980. He was a Lok Sabha member from Bhiwani three times : 1980 to 1984, 1985 to 1986, and 1989 to 1991. He lost from Bhiwani in 1977 due to the Janata wave.
• After he parted company with Congress in 1996, Bansi Lal set up the Haryana Vikas Party and his campaign against prohibition propelled him to power in the assembly polls the same year.
• Chronologically : Rajya Sabha MP (1960-1966), Haryana MLA (1967-1975), Rajya Sabha (1976-1980 but lost Bhiwani Lok Sabha election in 1977), Lok Sabha MP from 1980 to 1984, 1984–1986, Haryana MLA 1986–1987, lost assembly election in 1987, became Lok Sabha MP 1989–1991, Haryana MLA 1991-1996 and 1996 to 2000.

2000 Haryana Legislative Assembly election : Bhiwani

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	HVP	Bansi Lal	33,199	46.39%	12.82
	INC	Vasudev Sharma	25,130	35.11%	8.94
	BSP	Anil Kumar	4,844	6.77%	New
	BJP	Rishi Ram	4,335	6.06%	New
	CPI(M)	Kulbhushan Arya	788	1.10%	New
	Independent	Sajjan Khangwal	641	0.90%	New
	SP	Ramesh Chander	546	0.76%	New
	JD(U)	Suresh Kumar	373	0.52%	New
	Independent	Jai Kumar	369	0.52%	New
Margin of victory			8,069	11.27%	21.75
Turnout			71,572	61.94%	1.97
Registered electors			1,15,785		1.94
	HVP hold		Swing	12.82

1996 Haryana Legislative Assembly election : Tosham

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	HVP	Bansi Lal	47,274	53.60%	1.49
	INC	Dharambir	34,472	39.09%	2.37
	Samata Party	Joginder	2,685	3.04%	New
	JD	Ramesh	647	0.73%	New
	Independent	Amar Chand	507	0.57%	New
Margin of victory			12,802	14.52%	3.86
Turnout			88,194	74.29%	8.98
Registered electors			1,21,829		11.21
	HVP hold		Swing	1.49

1991 Haryana Legislative Assembly election : Tosham

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	HVP	Bansi Lal	38,272	55.10%	New
	INC	Dharambir	25,507	36.72%	9.46
	JP	Om Parkash S/O Nanu Ram	1,735	2.50%	New
	BJP	Sukhpal Singh	1,513	2.18%	New
	BSP	Dharam Pal	552	0.79%	New
Margin of victory			12,765	18.38%	15.05
Turnout			69,463	65.03%	2.40
Registered electors			1,09,549		9.66
	HVP gain from LKD		Swing	5.59