Last week, the Haryana Janhit Congress snapped its three-year alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party. Within a few days, party chief Kuldeep Bishnoi tied up with the Jan Chetna Party, a close partner of Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda of the Congress. Since the split, Bishnoi has repeatedly accused the saffron party of betraying his party.
On the face of it, the BJP remains confident. It believes it could win 60 out of 90 assembly seats when Haryana goes to the polls in October. It will release its first list of candidates on September 6. But many are still asking questions about the reasons for the split and whether the BJP will actually benefit from it.
Bishnoi asked for the moon
The ties Haryana Janhit Congress and the BJP snapped because Bishnoi asked for each party to be allotted an equal number of seats to contest ̶ or 45 each. The BJP offered Bishnoi only 10.
“Bishnoi was well within his rights to get the best deal for his party, but he should have considered the ground realities,” said Jagdish Mukhi, the BJP MLA from Janakpuri constituency in Delhi and the state convener for Haryana. “The Haryana Janhit Congress has never won even 10 seats in the state, let alone 45. His demand was not realistic.”
The BJP believes it is on the ascendant in the state. An ABP News-Nielsen pre-poll survey predicts that 46 of the 90 seats will go to the BJP. The Indian National Lok Dal could get 19 and the Congress 13.
However, some BJP leaders in Haryana feel that the split will reduce the margin of victory for their candidates in the polls.
“BJP and the Haryana Janhit Congress share the same vote bank,” a local BJP leader said. “The split will divide the voters. In some constituencies, like Hisar, Sirsa and Karnal, where HJC has a stronghold, it may even lead to a lean margin loss for the BJP candidate.”
Bishnoi could also hurt the BJP's prospects by forging alliances with smaller outfits in the state. He has, for instance, approached Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party, which has support among Dalits in the state. If this alliance transpires it will hurt the BJP's chances of winning votes from the scheduled castes.
HJC cosies up to Congress
The BJP faces another challenge, as the Shiromani Akali Dal ̶ with whom the saffron party has an alliance in neighbouring Punjab ̶ decided to support the Indian National Lok Dal in Haryana. BJP leaders are worried about INLD leader Dushyant Chautala’s claim that Prakash Singh Badal, chief of the SAD, will personally campaign for their party, officials say.
During the recent Lok Sabha elections, Badal efforts to campaign for Om Prakash Chautala could well have been the cause of him defeating Bishnoi.
As ties with the BJP frayed, Bishnoi opened back-channel communications with the Congress over a month ago. Bhupinder Singh Hooda's popularity has dipped as he faces a strong anti-incumbency sentiment. As a result, the Congress realises that it can no longer win the elections by itself.
Hooda’s biggest concern is keeping the Indian National Lok Dal out of power. The Chautala family, which runs the party, has a long history of animosity with the Hoodas. Hooda is anticipating a slew of government enquiries against him and his family if the INLD does come to power
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On the face of it, the BJP remains confident. It believes it could win 60 out of 90 assembly seats when Haryana goes to the polls in October. It will release its first list of candidates on September 6. But many are still asking questions about the reasons for the split and whether the BJP will actually benefit from it.
Bishnoi asked for the moon
The ties Haryana Janhit Congress and the BJP snapped because Bishnoi asked for each party to be allotted an equal number of seats to contest ̶ or 45 each. The BJP offered Bishnoi only 10.
“Bishnoi was well within his rights to get the best deal for his party, but he should have considered the ground realities,” said Jagdish Mukhi, the BJP MLA from Janakpuri constituency in Delhi and the state convener for Haryana. “The Haryana Janhit Congress has never won even 10 seats in the state, let alone 45. His demand was not realistic.”
The BJP believes it is on the ascendant in the state. An ABP News-Nielsen pre-poll survey predicts that 46 of the 90 seats will go to the BJP. The Indian National Lok Dal could get 19 and the Congress 13.
However, some BJP leaders in Haryana feel that the split will reduce the margin of victory for their candidates in the polls.
“BJP and the Haryana Janhit Congress share the same vote bank,” a local BJP leader said. “The split will divide the voters. In some constituencies, like Hisar, Sirsa and Karnal, where HJC has a stronghold, it may even lead to a lean margin loss for the BJP candidate.”
Bishnoi could also hurt the BJP's prospects by forging alliances with smaller outfits in the state. He has, for instance, approached Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party, which has support among Dalits in the state. If this alliance transpires it will hurt the BJP's chances of winning votes from the scheduled castes.
HJC cosies up to Congress
The BJP faces another challenge, as the Shiromani Akali Dal ̶ with whom the saffron party has an alliance in neighbouring Punjab ̶ decided to support the Indian National Lok Dal in Haryana. BJP leaders are worried about INLD leader Dushyant Chautala’s claim that Prakash Singh Badal, chief of the SAD, will personally campaign for their party, officials say.
During the recent Lok Sabha elections, Badal efforts to campaign for Om Prakash Chautala could well have been the cause of him defeating Bishnoi.
As ties with the BJP frayed, Bishnoi opened back-channel communications with the Congress over a month ago. Bhupinder Singh Hooda's popularity has dipped as he faces a strong anti-incumbency sentiment. As a result, the Congress realises that it can no longer win the elections by itself.
Hooda’s biggest concern is keeping the Indian National Lok Dal out of power. The Chautala family, which runs the party, has a long history of animosity with the Hoodas. Hooda is anticipating a slew of government enquiries against him and his family if the INLD does come to power
