The Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), which ruled Haryana for nearly 53 months as the junior coalition partner of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), is now grappling with significant desertions and a steep decline in political clout as the state approaches its assembly elections.
Less than a year after being formed in December 2018, the JJP had silenced its critics by winning 10 assembly seats in 2019 assembly elections with a 14.84% vote share.
With the BJP, which won 40 seats, falling short of a majority in the 90-member assembly, the JJP became a crucial ally. The post-poll alliance led to Dushyant Chautala’s elevation as deputy chief minister (CM) of the coalition government led by then CM Manohar Lal Khattar.
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The JJP capitalised on its position and secured a dozen-odd portfolios that included top-of-the-line departments, such as excise and taxation, revenue and public works.
However, the party’s fortunes began to falter after the BJP abruptly ended the alliance on March 12 this year, in a strategic move to counter rising anti-incumbency ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
The development marked the beginning of an existential crisis for the JJP, which had earlier positioned itself as a promising regional player during its time in power (October 27, 2019 to March 12, 2024).
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The severity of the party’s decline became evident in the recent Parliamentary elections, with its vote share plummeting to a mere 0.87 %, down from the 14.84% it achieved in the October 2019 assembly elections. This drastic fall has left the party struggling to maintain relevance in a political landscape dominated by the well-organised BJP and Congress.
According to Prof Rajendra Sharma, head of the department of political science at MD University, Rohtak, the emergence of the BJP as a dominant force has disrupted the prospects of regional parties across the country and they are scrambling for relevance.
“The BJP has shrewdly captured the space of its allies all over the country. They stitched alliances wherever they did not have a base and gradually pushed its coalition partners to political margins. JJP is in crisis and does not have a bright future,” Sharma says, reminding how the BJP once played a junior role to the INLD in Haryana.
The JJP’s alliance with the BJP has turned out to be a double-edged sword, sowing seeds of discontent within its core base. While the partnership catapulted the JJP into power, it alienated a significant portion of its supporters, particularly after the farmers’ protest.
The JJP’s base, predominantly Jat voters who are traditionally wary of the BJP, felt betrayed by the party’s decision to ally with the saffron party, especially during the cultivators’ agitation. The perception that the JJP sided with the BJP against farmers’ interest further eroded its support.
According to Sharma, the growing discontent has led to notable desertions within the party, signalling a deeper crisis where the party’s identity and purpose are being questioned.
Former deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala, however, has consistently defended the alliance as a strategic move to fulfil the aspirations of the party’s vote bank.
The stance was echoed by JJP national president Ajay Chautala in Rohtak on Saturday, who highlighted the party’s role in ensuring that Haryana now has the highest old-age pension ( ₹3,000) in the country. He further claimed that had the JJP held a full majority, the pension would have been ₹5,100 from the Day 1, alleging collusion between the BJP and former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda in undermining the JJP.
“Both the BJP and Hooda leave the field open for each other during elections as needed, and this was evident during the Rajya Sabha elections as well,” he said.
From having 10 MLAs in the 2019 assembly elections, the JJP is now down to just three: Dushyant Chautala, his mother Naina Chautala and Julana MLA Amarjeet Dhanda.
Discontent among the JJP legislators began shortly after the coalition government was formed with the Narnaund MLA Ram Kumar Gautam being the first to criticise Dushyant Chautala. Gautam, Jogi Ram Sihag and Anoop Dhanak, defected to the BJP on Sunday. The Tohana MLA Devender Singh Babli, who later became a minister, publicly raised concerns about corruption in the state government.
At the heart of this unrest among the JJP MLAs was party leadership’s reluctance in sharing the spoils of power. Political observers say the JJP must address its internal challenges and adapt to the changing dynamics. The potential revival of the INLD, from which the JJP originally split, could also pose a significant threat.
As the assembly elections approach, the JJP’s ability to evolve and respond to the challenges will be crucial in determining its long-term viability.
