Haryana polls: Chandra Shekhar Azad joins hands with ex-BJP ally Dushyant Chautala

With the Haryana assembly elections just about a month away, Chandra Shekhar Azad, the Nagina MP and head of the Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram), has forged an alliance with Dushyant Chautala, leader of the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) — and a former BJP ally.

Chautala, who previously served as deputy chief minister in the Khattar-led BJP government, saw ties to his party severed by the BJP before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

In this new alliance, the JJP, an offshoot of the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), will contest 70 out of the 90 assembly seats, while the Azad Samaj Party will contest the remaining 20.

The alliance comes at a time when the JJP is facing significant internal turmoil. Four of its legislators recently resigned from all party positions and gave up their primary memberships, citing personal reasons.

Observers say the legacy of Chaudhary Devi Lal, Haryana's tallest Jat leader and former deputy prime minister, lies at the heart of the state's political future. Chautala is a scion of Devi Lal's family tree.

Chautala family's influence, once dominant, has waned due to internal feuds. In 2018, after a split within the INLD, Dushyant Chautala formed the JJP, aiming to carry forward his grandfather’s legacy.

Both the INLD and the JJP have traditionally relied on the Jat vote bank, which comprises 28 per cent of Haryana's population. However, this time, they face stiff competition from the Congress, led by Bhupinder Singh Hooda, a prominent Jat leader and two-time chief minister.

The BJP, meanwhile, is focusing on consolidating the non-Jat votes to counter the regional parties.

The INLD, under the leadership of patriarch O.P. Chautala, who was released from Tihar Jail in July 2021 after serving a prison sentence, is also attempting to revive its fortunes.

Now, with the elections scheduled for 1 October, both Dushyant Chautala and Chandra Shekhar Azad have vowed to fight for the rights of farmers, a key issue in the agrarian state. Their alliance will have to overcome some key challenges and challengers, however.