With the possibility of simultaneous polls as both the Assembly and parliamentary elections in the state of Haryana draw near, political circles are abuzz as different parties in the state brainstorm their political strategies to win over voters. Amid this, it seems as though both the ruling party and the alliance are seriously considering alliances—at least up until the parliamentary elections.
At the national level, 26 Opposition parties have united to form an alliance called “INDIA” in a bid to unseat the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Under the INDA banner, many parties of opposing alliances have come together in the name of Opposition unity.
From the point of view of Haryana, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) which has been at loggerheads with the Congress in several states including Haryana, Punjab, and Delhi, has also entered the newly formed alliance.
Meanwhile, the ruling BJP and its ally in the government, the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) have also given a clear indication of staying together at least till the Lok Sabha elections. Similarly, the Congress has once again made it clear that the alliance with AAP is only till the Lok Sabha elections and further strategy will be decided after this.
While Congress leaders in the state have acknowledged the formation of the INDIA alliance, many others, including party stalwart and Haryana Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda have proclaimed that the party does not need an alliance to come to power. “First, the parliamentary polls will be held. As far as Haryana is concerned, the Congress is capable (of winning elections) on its own,” Hooda said in response to a reporter’s question in Rohtak on Saturday.
To a certain extent, it is evident that the Congress is in favour of contesting the elections alone in Haryana, not in an alliance with any party. Considering the current political scenario in the state, it is interesting to note that most political parties that are part of either the NDA or INDA alliances at the national level continue to state that alliance should be considered till the Lok Sabha elections only. Each political side has its own vested political interests behind this.
At the same time, several BJP stalwarts have been demanding for a long time to end the alliance with the JJP. Since it was the BJP high command’s decision to invite JJP to the NDA meeting, those against the alliance have not had anything to say. Recently, the BJP had invited its ally Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), amongst several others to an alliance meeting held at the party’s headquarters in the national capital under the banner of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) which led to the possibility of the party staying in its alliance with the JJP for the parliamentary elections in Haryana yet again.