Former partners Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on Thursday yet again joined hands to contest the Haryana Assembly polls scheduled later this year.
According to leaders of the two parties, out of 90 assembly seats in Haryana, the BSP will contest 37 seats, leaving the rest for its senior partner in Haryana, where the ruling BJP is eyeing to come to power for the third time in a row.
The leaders of the alliance have also decided to project INLD leader Abhay Chautala as its chief ministerial face.
Addressing a joint press conference, Chautala said the alliance is not based on any selfish interests, but has been formed keeping in mind people’s feelings.
“In Haryana, we have decided to jointly fight the upcoming assembly elections. Today, the feeling of common people is to oust from power the BJP, which is looting the state, and keep the Congress party at bay, which looted the state 10 years earlier,” Chautala said.
BSP national coordinator Akash Anand said BSP supremo Mayawati and Chautala earlier held a detailed meeting to cement the ties between the partners.
“In that meeting, it had been decided that out of 90 assembly seats in Haryana, the BSP will contest on 37 seats while the rest will be fought by the INLD,” he said.
“This alliance will not be limited to fighting assembly polls only, we will fight other elections in the state jointly in the future,” Anand said.
Mayawati said in a post on ‘X’, “BSP and INLD will work together to defeat anti-people parties and form a new coalition government.”
“Bahujan Samaj Party and Indian National Lok Dal will fight the upcoming assembly elections in Haryana together with the resolve to defeat the anti-people parties and form a new coalition government, which was announced in a joint press conference in Chandigarh today with my full blessings,” she said.
“Before the press conference of INLD’s principal general secretary Abhay Singh Chautala and BSP’s Anand Kumar, national coordinator Akash Anand and party’s state in-charge Randhir Beniwal today, successful talks were held between the two parties at my residence in New Delhi regarding the alliance,” she said.
Chautala is the lone member of the INLD in the 90-member Haryana Assembly, while the BSP does not have any member in the House.
Talking to reporters, Chautala said they will like to include more outfits opposed to the Congress and BJP to join hands with the alliance and build a strong front.
“If need be, we can talk to the Aam Aadmi Party too,” he added.
The alliance partners also promised a slew of incentives if they come to power.
“… No domestic household will get an electricity bill of more than Rs 500 (per month). People will not be charged for drinking water,” Chautala said at the presser.
Striking an emotional chord, the INLD leader said Chaudhary Devi Lal and BSP founder late Kanshi Ram worked to bring a big change in this country. The BSP and INLD’s thinking is how the poor will get justice and how weaker sections will get empowered, he said.
In February 2019, the BSP had called off its alliance with the INLD, which was then Haryana’s main opposition outfit. The development at that time had come amid a feud in the Chautala family.