In the just concluded elections, the BJP has succeeded in getting an absence majority winning in the new 48 of out of 90 assembly seats while Congress could win 37 seats. As far as the state’s two recognised regional parties – Indian National Lok Dal and its archrival JJP (Jananayak Janata Party) are concerned, the INLD has got 2 seats while JJP failed to win even a single seat.
INLD and JJP did not get a respectable vote share either. On the other hand, independent MLAs Savitri Jindal, Devendra Kadiyan and Rajesh Joon have won from Hisar, Gannaur and Bahadurgarh seats.
INLD’s vote share across the state was 4.14 per cent, while JJP’s was 0.90 per cent. INLD got 575192 votes in the entire state while JJP got only 125022 votes. Likewise, in the results of the 18th Lok Sabha general elections in June 2024, 4 months ago, INLD’s vote share in Haryana was 1.74 percent while JJP’s was 0.87 per cent .
Now, questions are raised on the recognition of INLD and JJP as regional parties and it is being said that due to poor performance in the recent Haryana Assembly general elections, the status of both of them as recognized regional parties in Haryana can be taken away by the Election Commission.
Citing the applicable legal provisions, Hemant Kumar, an advocate at Punjab and Haryana High Court and an expert on election laws, said according to the Election Symbol (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968, as amended till date, for any political party to obtain and maintain the status as a recognized state (regional) party, it is necessary to win a minimum of 6 per cent votes and at least two seats (i.e. MLA) in the state assembly general elections or a minimum of three per cent of the total number of seats in the assembly or three seats, whichever is more.
In return, it is necessary to win at least 6 per cent votes and at least one seat (i.e. MP) in the Lok Sabha general elections in the state. Apart from this, even without winning any seat, a party can get or retain recognition as a regional party if it secures 8% of the total valid votes polled in the assembly or Lok Sabha general election.
About 26 years ago in 1998, INLD was allotted the status of a regional party after winning 4 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana in the 12th Lok Sabha general election, which is continuing till date.
However, five and a half years ago in May, 2019, in the 17th Lok Sabha general election, INLD got only 1.9 percent votes in Haryana while it could not win any Lok Sabha seat. After that in October, 2019, in the Haryana Assembly general election, INLD got only 2.44 percent votes and its only MLA Abhay Singh Chautala won from Ellenabad Assembly seat.
Now in the latest Haryana Assembly general election, INLD got only 4.14% votes and two of the party candidates and members of Chautala family Aditya Chautala and Arjun Chautala contested the polls successfully from Dabwali and Rania Assembly Constituency respectively.
INLD has failed to meet parameters in in May general elections in 2019, the Haryana Assembly election in the same year 2019, general election earlier this year in the 15th Haryana Assembly General Election. Therefore, as per the applicable order, its status of a recognized regional party in Haryana and the reserved election symbol i.e. spectacles (spectacles) can be taken away by the Election Commission.
Notably, in August 2016, the Election Commission amended the said 1968 order and mentioned that if a recognized political party does not get the minimum votes/seats in a general election, then its recognized status will not be affected but its recognition in the next general election will also depend on its performance in those elections i.e. on it getting the minimum number of seats/votes.
This will no longer apply to INLD as its electoral performance in two consecutive Lok Sabha general elections in May, 2019 and May, 2024 as well as two consecutive Haryana Assembly general elections in October, 2019 and October, 2024 was not in accordance with the prescribed parameters.
As far as the issue of recognition of JJP as a regional party is concerned, since it has been given this status due to winning 10 seats and getting about 15% vote share in the Haryana Assembly general election in the year 2019, there is no dispute about its status as a regional party and the reserved election symbol of key till the next Haryana Assembly general election, despite not winning a minimum of 6 vote percent and at least 2 seats.
