BJP-JJP part their ways ahead of LS polls

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) have ended their alliance after nearly four and a half years, just before the upcoming parliamentary elections in Haryana. Manohar Lal Khattar and Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala resigned to pave the way for a new government, which was sworn in on Tuesday. With 41 MLAs and support from six independents and MLA Gopal Kanda, the BJP’s strength stands at 48, above the majority mark of 46 seats.

JJP chief Chautala met BJP president JP Nadda on Monday, seeking two Lok Sabha seats—Hisar and Bhiwani-Mahendragarh—for the upcoming elections. However, as the parties couldn’t reach a consensus on seat distribution, the alliance came to an end. The BJP was reluctant to concede any Lok Sabha seats as it believed it had a strong position in both constituencies.

The dissolution of the alliance is a setback for the JJP, which had been advocating for its continuation. Despite speculation, the BJP decided to break ties with the JJP due to the imbalance in seat distribution. Following the breakup, only four out of ten JJP MLAs attended the meeting, while the others participated in the swearing-in ceremony of the new cabinet in Chandigarh.

A JJP spokesperson stated that the party would contest all 10 Lok Sabha seats and 90 assembly seats independently in Haryana. Before the alliance ended, Deputy CM Dushyant Chautala had met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP National President JP Nadda, requesting one to two seats. The disagreement over seat allocation, particularly regarding the Bhiwani-Mahendragarh and Hisar seats, led to the dissolution of the alliance.