With Mayawati's 'blessings', BSP and INLD ally for Haryana Assembly polls

The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Haryana’s Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) have formed a pre-poll alliance ahead of the state Assembly elections anticipated in October.

Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and BSP supremo Mayawati announced on X that the BSP and INLD would jointly contest the Haryana elections to defeat "anti-people parties" and establish a new coalition government.

"Due to the resolve to form a welfare government in Haryana, there has been complete unity and agreement in the distribution of seats etc. in this alliance by giving full respect to each other. I have full hope that this mutual unity will defeat the opponents with the blessings of the people and form a new government," Mayawati wrote on X.

Akash Anand, Mayawati’s nephew, who was sidelined as national coordinator during the recent Lok Sabha polls, led the BSP during the alliance talks.

Political watchers are of the opinion that after the drubbing handed out to the BSP in the Lok Sabha polls, Mayawati is trying to expand the party's base outside Uttar Pradesh, which is also why she has recalled Akash Anand to the stage. Notably, the BSP failed to win a single seat in the Lok Sabha elections.

INLD secretary-general Abhay Chautala said the alliance might consider partnering with other like-minded social and political groups. "The objective of this alliance is to ensure the protection and advancement of the rights of the deprived, backward classes and farmers," read an X post by Chautala, who will be the alliance’s chief ministerial candidate. "We have not done it (alliance) for seats, we have done it for people and to remove BJP from power and keep Congress away."

Sources said the seat distribution agreement allocates 53 out of 90 seats to the INLD and 37 to the BSP. Both parties pledged to eliminate contractual employment in Haryana, offering permanent jobs to youths. They also promised to instal solar plants to reduce household electricity bills to Rs 500, to provide free water, and introduce an old-age pension of Rs 7,500 per month.

For Scheduled Castes, the BSP-INLD alliance has proposed a 100-yard plot for each family, free coaching for competitive exams, and free education up to Class 10.

It is worth mentioning here that in 2018, the INLD experienced a significant split when Dushyant Chautala, grandson of five-time chief minister Om Prakash Chautala, broke away to form the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), which subsequently allied with the BJP in 2019 to help form the state government, but withdrew its support in March this year.