Haryana is witnessing a major political upheaval before the assembly elections. Four MLAs of the kingmaker Jannayak Janata Party (JJP), which was in power as an alliance partner of the BJP for about 4.5 years, have left the party. While three MLAs have distanced themselves from the party. Hence, out of the total 10 MLAs of JJP, only three MLAs are practically left with the party.
In the last 24 hours, 4 MLAs including former Labor Minister and Uklana MLA Anoop Dhanak, Shahabad MLA Ramkaran Kala, Guhala Cheeka MLA Ishwar Singh and Tohana MLA and former Cabinet Minister Devendra Babli have left the party.
Apart from the 4 MLAs who left the party, Narwana MLA Ram Niwas Surjakheda, Barwala MLA Jogi Ram Sihag and Narnaund MLA Ram Kumar Gautam have distanced themselves from the party for various reasons.
The crisis-hit JJP has only three MLAs left in the party, including former Deputy Chief Minister and Uchana MLA Dushyant Chautala, his mother and Badhra MLA Naina Chautala and Julana MLA Amarjeet Dhanda. Of these, 2 members are from the Chautala family.
The Jannayak Janata Party became the kingmaker by winning 10 assembly seats in the year 2019. However, the party leadership failed to keep its MLAs united. Now there is speculation about 6 MLAs joining mainstream parties including Congress and BJP. In this, there is speculation of MLAs Ramkaran Kala, Ishwar Singh and Devendra Babli joining Congress, while Anoop Dhanak may join BJP.
The JJP leadership had earlier tried to stop the exodus of its MLAs but was unsuccessful. An attempt to lodge an FIR against two dissident MLAs, including Jogi Ram Sihag and Ramniwas Surjakheda, for anti-party activities backfired. These two MLAs have announced their support to the ruling BJP and even campaigned for the party candidates in the Lok Sabha elections.
Two disgruntled MLAs of the party, Ishwar Singh and Ramkaran Kala, have recently resigned and sent letters to party president Dr. Ajay Singh Chautala citing personal reasons for leaving the party. Devendra Babli, who was once his close aide, was not happy with Chautala’s work. He had openly expressed support for Congress MP Kumari Selja in the Lok Sabha elections. Now there are speculations about Devendra Babli joining the Congress, but he has left the decision to his supporters.
Devendra Babli said that when I left Congress 5 years ago, the situation was different. I joined JJP on the suggestion of my supporters. But after 5 years the situation has completely changed, so I am resigning.
The biggest reason for the party MLAs leaving JJP is the weakening of the party. The party’s vote share was 14.9% in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, which has come down to 0.87 percent in 2024. Sources say that the primary vote bank of the Chautala family (JJP, INLD) was Jat voters, who moved to Congress in the Lok Sabha elections. JJP has described its decision to support the BJP as anti-farmer and a loss-making one in the case of the Jat movement.
Reacting to this development, JJP general secretary Digvijay Chautala has called the four MLAs of the party ‘opportunists’. At the same time, Dushyant Chautala said that many people have betrayed JJP and those who are leaving the party do not matter to us. JJP is ready to contest the assembly elections and we will form the government.
There is a Bharatiya Janata Party government in Haryana. In the assembly elections held 5 years ago i.e. in 2019, BJP had won 40 seats. BJP had secured 36.7 percent vote share. Hence BJP emerged as the largest party, while Congress stood second with 31 seats, Congress’ vote share was 28.2 percent. Dushyant Chautala’s Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) was at number three, JJP won 10 seats with 14.9 percent vote share. Haryana Lokhit Party won only one seat by securing less than one percent vote share. While 7 independents also won the elections, but no party touched the magic figure of 46 seats to form the government. In such a situation, JJP became the kingmaker. BJP formed the government with the support of JJP, Haryana Lokhit Party and independents. BJP broke the alliance with JJP before the Lok Sabha elections and made Nayab Singh Saini the CM in place of Manohar Lal Khattar.
Source (PTI) (NDTV) (HINDUSTANTIMES)