Major jolt to JJP as 3 more MLAs quit party
On Friday, Uklana MLA Anoop Dhanak had quit the party hours after the EC announced the election schedule, party left with just 3 loyal MLAs now
In a major setback to Jannayak Janata Party, three party MLAs, Devender Babli representing Fatehabad’s Tohana, Ram Karan Kala from Kurukshetra’s Shahbad and Ishwar Singh from Kaithal’s Guhla, quit the party on Saturday, citing personal details.
This is the fourth high-profile resignation the party has seen in the last 24 hours as former minister of state (independent charge) Anoop Dhanak, had also resigned from all party posts from Friday, hours after the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the schedule for assembly elections in the state.
The party, which had won 10 seats in the 2019 assembly elections, is now left with only three loyal MLAs – former deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala who represents Uchana Kalan, his mother Naina Chautala and Julana MLA Amarjeet Dhanda.
Two MLAs Jogi Ram Sihag from Barwala and Ram Niwas Surja Khera from Narwana are facing disqualification proceedings over allegations of anti-party activities as they had campaigned for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections. Another MLA, Ram Kumar Gautam from Narnaund assembly segment had distanced himself from party two months after 2019 elections as he was miffed over not getting a cabinet berth.
For the upcoming polls, the party had earlier announced to retain Dushyant and Dhanda from the seats they currently represent. The party is yet to take a call on Naina Chautala, who represents the Badhra seat in Charkhi Dadri.
Meanwhile, speculations are rife that the three MLAs who resigned on Saturday may join the Congress. While Tohana MLA Babli has been a vocal supporter of Congress leader Kumari Selja, the sons of MLA Ram Karan Kala and MLA Ishwar Singh had joined the party during the Lok Sabha elections.
Two-time Uklana MLA Anoop Dhanak is exploring options to join the BJP, according to people close to him. A JJP MLA who resigned today said Dushyant had enjoyed power for over four years while completely ignoring his party MLAs. “All of Haryana knows how he behaved with workers when he was deputy CM. He worked for a select few people and failed to do good on the promises made to voters during elections. He had to face the music for not supporting farmers and wrestlers during their agitation,” the MLA said.
JJP party secretary general Digvijay Singh Chautala said the party won’t be affected by the desertions as the party will come back stronger after the assembly elections.
In the 2019 assembly elections, JJP won 10 seats and became the junior partner of the Manohar Lal Khattar-led BJP government after the latter fell short of a majority. The JJP, which has a support base in the rural areas of Hisar, Jind, Charkhi Dadri, Fatehabad and some other parts of the state, has off late been facing protests from farmers, particularly their core voters Jats for backing the BJP during the farmers’ and wrestlers’ stir. In the 2024 general elections, JJP could manage just 0.87% of the total vote share and all 10 candidates lost their security deposit. After the BJP snapped ties with the JJP in March this year, many party leaders quit the party.
JJP party secretary general Digvijay Singh Chautala said the party won’t be affected by the desertions as the party will come back stronger after the assembly elections.
In the 2019 assembly elections, JJP won 10 seats and became the junior partner of the Manohar Lal Khattar-led BJP government after the latter fell short of a majority. The JJP, which has a support base in the rural areas of Hisar, Jind, Charkhi Dadri, Fatehabad and some other parts of the state, has off late been facing protests from farmers, particularly their core voters Jats for backing the BJP during the farmers’ and wrestlers’ stir.
In the 2024 general elections, JJP could manage just 0.87% of the total vote share and all 10 candidates lost their security deposit. After the BJP snapped ties with the JJP in March this year, many party leaders quit the party.
