After winning 10 out of 90, JJP emerges as new political kingmaker

With both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress failing to reach the halfway-mark in Haryana, the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) led by Dushyant Chautala is set to emerge as the kingmaker in this assembly election.

According to the Election Commission of India on Thursday, the JJP won 10 seats in the 90-member assembly, reducing the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) to just one seat. The BJP managed to win 40 seats and the Congress was a close second with 31.

The JJP, which was formed as a breakaway from the INLD in December after a split in the party and the Chautala family, contested its maiden assembly elections without an alliance with any other political party.

“People of Haryana want change. It shows that there is a sentiment of anti-incumbency against the M.L. Khattar government in the state. We have got an approval from the people of Haryana. The (BJP) mandate to cross 75 has already failed,” Chautala said.

Dushyant is the grandson of former Haryana chief minister and INLD chief Om Prakash Chautala. In the 2014 assembly elections, INLD won nine seats —a far cry from the single seat it won this time around with a vote share of 2.27%.

“It is too early to say anything. We will first summon a meeting of our MLAs, decide who would be our leader in the House and then take it further,” he said.

In the 10 months since its launch, the party first contested in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections in alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the state. However, it failed to make an impact at the time, and the BJP swept all 10 Lok Sabha seats from Haryana.

In this election, the JJP presented itself as an alternative to the traditional parties in the state promising youth leadership, employment and corruption-free governance.

In the 2014 general elections, Dushyant Chautala became the youngest member of the Lok Sabha from Hissar. On Thursday, he secured a position for himself in the Haryana legislative assembly from Uchana kalan.

The assembly election in Haryana has put the spotlight on regional outfits, including the JJP, and independent candidates, who together account for 19 seats. INLD and Haryana Lokhit Party won one seat each.

Political analysts say that while JJP may hold key, it is equally important to watch out for independent candidates.

“While JJP can definitely be a kingmaker in this election, it is equally important to watch out for which way the independent candidates go. JJP is not a new party but one that has emerged from a well established party. The background was ready for them and they have taken that forward,” said Prem Kumar, a Kurukshetra-based analyst and professor at the Kurukshetra university.