The upcoming Lok Sabha and Haryana Assembly elections seem to be a battle for survival for the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and its breakaway faction, the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), which is facing the ire of its core voters for its “anti-farmer” stance during the year-long stir against the Centre’s now-withdrawn farm laws.
The JJP — led by Ajay Singh Chautala — came into existence in December 2018 after a vertical split in the INLD following a feud in the Chautala family. The party won 10 seats in the 2019 Assembly election and formed a coalition government with the BJP.
The INLD, led by former Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala, however, was reduced to a single seat in the 2019 Assembly poll, five years after it finished runner-up in the 2014 election with 19 seats.
Any further weakening of the two parties would also mean an end to the several decades-old dominance of the regional political force led by the Chautalas in the State.
While the image of JJP leader and Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala — once seen as the next Chaudhary Devi Lal — took a hit after the farmers’ agitation, the party’s failure to deliver on its two most important electoral promises — ₹5,100 monthly old-age pension, and reservation in private sector jobs — added to its woes.
Trying hard to make the party stand on its feet again, INLD secretary general Abhay Chautala, too, had taken out a Statewide “padyatra” last year. However, his outfit failed to catch the people’s imagination due to the lack of charismatic leadership.
Setback for revival plan
The INLD’s efforts for a tie-up with the Congress and the Bahujan Samaj Party ahead of the Lok Sabha poll, too, have fallen flat — a major setback for its revival plan. Professor Rajendra Sharma, head of the Political Science Department at Rohtak’s Maharishi Dayanand University, said the JJP’s alliance with the BJP for Lok Sabha poll, which would be a confirmation for their pre-poll alliance for the Assembly election as well, could be the only hope for its survival. “The JJP has lost much of its goodwill in the past five years because of the farmers’ movement. It is on a sticky wicket. An alliance with the BJP will give it some breather, else it will be wiped out. The JJP has nothing significant to claim in terms of bringing any new policy or scheme. As far as the reservation in private jobs is considered, everybody knew it was a hoax,” Mr. Sharma said.
He said the rise of the BJP in several States has been at the cost of regional parties. “In Haryana, too, the BJP has occupied the political space that the INLD once held. The INLD may replace the JJP, but is unlikely to regain its old glory,” said Mr. Sharma.
Tussle for Jat votes
The fact that the two regional parties depend heavily on Jat votes and face tough competition from the Congress, led by prominent Jat leader and two-time Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, has also not helped their cause. Mr. Sharma said the Jats had already shifted to Mr. Hooda in a big way as they thought that he alone could challenge the BJP.
The political history of the State also does not offer much hope to the JJP as almost all new political outfits launched over the past two decades have failed to make a mark.
