In the midst of Haryana’s caste-centric politics, family ties will be put to test in the ensuing Lok Sabha polls. Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), the two regional parties founded by members of politically influential Chautala family of Haryana will be pitted against each other in an ugly dynastic battle in the state’s political arena.
Both political parties, vowing to take forward the legacy of former deputy Prime Minister Chaudhary Devi Lal faces a tough poll battle to prove their dominance in the State politics.
While the grand old party- INLD – founded in 1996 by Jat leader Chaudhary Devi Lal himself, is looking at a risk of going into oblivion if it does not perform well in the polls, the fledgling outfit-JJP- needs a larger pan-Haryana identity and eyeing to consolidate Jat votes (around 26 percent of the total electorate), which is INLD’s traditional vote bank.
Both political parties are aware that their performance in Lok Sabha polls, would eventually determine their future in the Haryana Assembly polls which are due to be held later this year.
The INLD had split last November following a power struggle between two brothers Abhay Chautala and Ajay Chautala, grandsons of Chaudhary Devi Lal. When the INLD chief and five-time former Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala chose younger son, Abhay to be his heir, Ajay and his two sons were expelled from the INLD.
Following this, the bitter family feud began with the formation of Jannayak Janta Party, a splinter group of INLD by Ajay Chautala and his two sons, Hisar MP Dushyant and Digvijay who is serving a 10-year jail term in connection with the teachers’ recruitment scam in Haryana, is patron of the JJP while his two sons are spearheading the party in his absence chief OP Chautala, too, is in jail in the same teachers’ recruitment scam and Abhay is managing the party affairs since 2013 when the senior Chautala and Ajay were convicted in the recruitment scam.
Abhay’s son-Karan and Arjun –have been given responsibility in the INLD’s youth cell and may also contest the ensuing parliamentary polls. On the other hand, Dushyant represents the Hisar Lok Sabha seat and is likely to contest on JJP’s ticket this time from the seat.
Digvijay, who made his political debut in Jind bypoll and finished at second spot, is also seen as JJP’s key candidate for the polls. The name of Ajay’s wife Naina Chautala, who is a sitting legislator in Haryana, is also doing the rounds as a key contender for JJP’s ticket.
With Dushyant ruling out a truce with his estranged uncle Abhay, the fourth generation of Chautala clan would now be crossing swords in the electoral battle.
The JJP had earlier put up a strong performance in Jind bypoll with its candidate Digvijay Chautala securing considerably more voters than the Congress and INLD. On the other hand, the INLD’s candidate Umed Singh Redhu had suffered an ignominious defeat finishing at the fifth position.
The humiliating defeat had resulted in Bahujan Samaj Party breaking ties in February with the INLD, which is since then searching for an alliance partner to contest on 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana. The INLD chief OP Chautala and secretary general Abhay Chautala have attempted to forge an alliance with the BJP but the saffron party had rejected the offer.
The JJP, meanwhile, is set to form an alliance with Aam Aadmi Party and other smaller political outfits to contest the May 12 parliamentary polls in the state.
The rise of JJP is also spelling doom for the INLD, which is not only losing its traditional Jat vote bank but also witnessing exodus of its senior leaders, current MLAs to rival camps.
Abhay Chautala had recently lost the position of Leader of opposition in Haryana Assembly with two of INLD’s MLAs joining the BJP and the party’s strength coming down to 15 MLAs in the 90 member House, lesser than Congress’ 17 MLAs.
Political analysts believe that after its performance in Jind bypolls, the JJP would be a party to watch in the Lok Sabha polls. With both parties staking claim on the legacy of Chaudhary Devi Lal, it would be interesting to see how the Jat electorate vote in this elections.
Given the current scenario, the chances of INLD seem bleak in the electoral contest while Dushyant also faces a tough challenge ahead. Dushyant’s JJP has emerged as a key player in the state politics after Jind bypoll but Dushyant himself faces a test to prove his merit as a political leader, and to deliver beyond Chautala’s traditional bastions in the state, say political observers.
In 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the INLD had won two parliamentary seats including Sirsa and Hisar in the state.
Both INLD and JJP are yet to announce their party candidates for the 2019 general elections.
INLD secretary general Abhay Chautala has said that his party will contest on its own on all 10 seats and will announce its candidates on April 15.
JJP leader Dushyant has said that their alliance with other political parties will be announced in a couple of days and subsequently, the candidate will be announced.
After the split, the Chautala family feud also continues to play out in the public with the two sides trading barbs at each other
When Abhay had recently met Chief Minister Manohar Lal in New Delhi triggering speculations of BJP-INLD alliance, Dushyant had termed the meeting as political surrender by the INLD. Abhay, on the other hand, has been claiming that Dushyant’s JJP would not be able to win even a single seat in the parliamentary polls.
Political observers further say that in the upcoming polls, the ruling BJP and opposition Congress may gain from INLD-JJP clash. INLD is battling for its existence while JJP is a new player. The ruling BJP stands to gain most from the split as the INLD’s traditional Jat vote base will also be divided, they say.
Interestingly, the leaders of BJP and Congress have been all along reiterating that the JJP and INLD are two sides of the same coin. Subhash Barala, Haryana BJP chief had recently said that the JJP is just a new name given to INLD. JJP has INLD cadre, its leaders, its ideology and principles, he had said.
Notably, INLD supremo OP Chautala, who is serving his jail term in Delhi’s Tihar jail has sought parole before the Delhi High Court, which will hear the case on April 12. Out of power for over 14 years in Haryana, the grand old regional party-INLD, in an attempt to revive its waning fortunes and give boost to party’s campaign, is now banking on the outcome of parole plea of the senior Chautala.
