Ahead of the forthcoming Parliamentary and Assembly polls in Haryana, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as well as Opposition parties—including the Congress—are making preparations to strengthen their respective political positions and prove their mettle in the state. Additionally, discussions pertaining to the future of the ruling BJP and its ally the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) continue to be speculated in Haryana’s political circle.
While the JJP has been in favour of continuing the alliance, several BJP bigwigs in the state are opposed to continuing the alliance, stating that keeping the alliance alive is likely to cause harm to the BJP in the forthcoming elections. However, the JJP is one of the 38 political parties to have accepted the BJP high command’s invitation to a National Democratic Alliance (NDA) meeting in New Delhi on Tuesday. The invitation is thought to have come as a great relief to the party.
Notably, as continuous discussions pertaining to the alliance surface, statements made by several BJP state leaders would have dampened the JJP’s hopes. By inviting the party to the meeting, the BJP has now indicated that at present, it does not want to bid farewell to its alliance partner in Haryana. The high command’s decision to invite the JJP has given the party a boost, evident from the body language of the JJP stalwarts, especially Dushyant Chautala. Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala, along with his father and JJP national president Ajay Chautala were in attendance. The Deputy Chief Minister said that coordination among the alliance parties is necessary in the coming election year. He also said, “The BJP and JJP have formed an alliance to give a positive vision of development and a stable government in the state. There is no doubt in our mind about the alliance.” He said that the leadership of both parties will discuss how the alliance will proceed in the elections and that it is a future matter.
The BJP contested the previous elections by allying with smaller parties. The party succeeded in gaining political mileage in several Lok Sabha seats, especially those where it was eyeball to eyeball with the Opposition. Now, the BJP has begun working on a strategy to keep its regional allies happy. The party is likely to benefit from this strategy, especially in seats with stiff competition.
It is pertinent to mention that for some time, the JJP faced widespread resentment from farmers and in rural areas, leading to a declining vote share. Most of JJP’s voter base is rural. With the future of the alliance no longer uncertain—even for a short period—the party will now focus on appeasing its farming voter base.
Meanwhile, BJP high command’s decision to invite the JJP is a setback for party leaders unhappy with the alliance. Since the party’s central leadership, being the supreme authority seems to have taken the final call pertaining to the matter, party leader’s personal opinions will no longer carry much weight. Now, all eyes will be on the possible upheaval in the three political families of the state. The family of JJP leader and Deputy CM Dushyant has been contesting elections on Hisar Lok Sabha and Uchana assembly seats for a long time, which the family of BJP leader and former Union minister Birender Singh also contests from. Apart from these two, BJP leader Kuldeep Bishnoi’s family also contests from Hisar Lok Sabha. It remains to be seen which family will finally contest these seats.