JJP-BSP to contest Haryana Assembly elections together, declare seat-sharing deal

The Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) has formed an alliance with former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) to contest the upcoming Assembly elections in Haryana, JJP leader Dushyant Chautala said on Sunday. Of the total 90 Assembly seats, JJP will contest on 50 segments while the BSP will field its candidates on the remaining 40 constituencies.

Addressing a joint press conference with BSP General Secretary Satish Chandra Mishra, Chautala said, "After several meetings of top leaders of both parties, it was decided that JJP and BSP will contest next Haryana Assembly elections in alliance".

Earlier, speculations had been rife that JJP was in talks with Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to contest the Haryana Assembly elections together. AAP senior leader Gopal Rai, however, had ruled out an alliance and said after analysing the political scenario post Lok Sabha polls, they have decided to go solo in Haryana.

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"After the Lok Sabha elections, we analysed the political situation and we have decided to contest the upcoming elections without forming any alliance in the state," Rai told reporters.

In General Elections 2019, the Aam Aadmi Party and the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) joined hands to fight all the 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana. The AAP fought on four seats while the JJP contested the remaining six. However, there was a clean sweep by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on all the constituencies.

In 2014 Assembly elections, the BJP won with absolute majority for the first time in Haryana. The Saffron fold, which had only four MLAs in the state, won 47 seats in the 90-member Assembly. 

While Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) managed wins in 19 Assembly constituencies, Congress bagged 15 seats. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) won 1 seat each. The remainign 7 seats were divided between Haryana Janhit Congress (2) and Independent (5).

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The JJP was launched last year by former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala's grandson Dushyant Chautala, following a power struggle in the state's main opposition Indian National Lok Dal (INLD). Dushyant, son of Ajay Chautala, contested the Lok Sabha polls from Hisar parliamentary constituency but lost to BJP's bureaucrat-turned-politician Brijendra Singh.

The assembly elections in Haryana to elect 90 members of the state Legislative Assembly is scheduled to take place in October 2019.