BJP-INLD pact to split Jat vote
From Ravi S. Singh
Tribune News Service

GURGAON, Oct 22 — The Bharatiya Janata Party and the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) are understood to have entered into a pact to weaken the Congress' prospects in the assembly elections in Rajasthan and Delhi, scheduled for next month.

According to sources, notwithstanding the INLD leadership assertions in public that the party would have no truck with any political party for the elections in the two BJP ruled northern states, the two parties have agreed in principle to work on a common strategy against the Congress. The understanding between the two parties was reached at a meeting of a former Haryana Chief Minister and INLD leader, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, with the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee on October 16. Incidentally, Mr Chautala called on Mr Vajpayee on the day before the crucial meeting of the national executive at Jind on withdrawal of support over the Sahib Singh issue.

Sources said that the Chautala-Vajpayee meeting was at the instance of the Prime Minister, for which the Punjab Chief Minister, Parkash Singh Badal, the Rajasthan Chief Minister, Mr Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, Union Minister, Mr Madan Lal Khurana, and Mr Verma had played a pro-active role.

Although both the INLD and the BJP are keeping their pact under wraps, the sources said that the understanding was aimed to cause a split in the Jat votes in Rajasthan and the outer Delhi areas. The BJP was said to have been compelled to give leeway to Mr Chautala on account of the ground realities in the two states. The assessment in some quarters of the BJP is that the Jat community in the two states had shown signs of tilting towards the Congress in the hope of bouncing back to dominant status. The threat appeared to be real after replacing Mr Verma from the post of Chief Minister.

The operative portion of the BJP-INLD pact is that the BJP would either put up a weak nominee in the Jat-dominated constituencies where the INLD would also put up its candidates. The INLD would also reciprocate wherever it could undercut Congress votes.

Although the number of such seats was yet to be finalised and the process of identifying them was on by both the parties, the spotlight has been focused on districts like Bharatpur, Alwar, Bikaner, Chittor, Swai Madhopur, Jhunjhunu, Sikar and Ganganagar — dominated by the Jat community.

With regard to Delhi, there are about 22 assembly seats falling in the outer Delhi. There is a dominant line of thinking in the INLD that the party would be better placed in constituencies like Shahpur Daulat, Bawana, Nangloi Jat, Palam, Najafgarh and Nasirpur — the areas contiguous to the Jat heartland in Haryana.

The strategy of the INLD is two pronged. One, to win some seats in the two states, second, to jack up the percentage of polls voted in its favour so that the party could be recognised as a national party with the Election Commission. The party would be happy to win about eight seats in Rajasthan and about five in Delhi. However, the INLD plans are to put about 25-30 nominees in Rajasthan and about a dozen in Delhi.

In another significant development which could have a bearing on Haryana's politics, the INLD is contemplating not to field Mr Ajay Singh, the elder son of Mr Chautala, in the assembly elections in Rajasthan, but to opt for Abhay Singh, the younger son. Mr Ajay Singh is the sitting MLA from Nohar in Ganganagar district. There are indications that Mr Abhay Singh would be fielded in Sangharia constituency, also falling in Ganganagar district.

The sources said that although an understanding between the BJP and the INLD was in the offing in the two states, the removal of Mr Sahib Singh Verma from the post of Chief Minister and the demonstrative protests by sections in the Jat community in its wake leveraged the INLD leadership to drive a better bargain with the BJP. Mr Chautala had several rounds of talks with Mr Bhairon Singh Shekhawat on the issue of poll understanding in Rajasthan, even before removal of Mr Verma from the post. The INLD made the right kind of noises keeping in tune with the "injured ego" of the Jat community adding more pressure on the BJP leadership.