INLD, JJP bank on Kanshi Ram’s legacy, tie up with Dalit parties

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 28

The Devi Lal clan, represented by regional parties INLD and JJP, are banking on the legacy of Dalit icon Kanshi Ram to stay relevant in Haryana politics after the October 1 Assembly elections.

To pose a challenge to the BJP and the Congress, both regional parties have entered into alliances with parties professing faith in Kanshi Ram’s ideology. While the INLD has entered into an alliance with the BSP, the JJP has tied up with the Azad Samaj Party-Kanshi Ram (ASP-KR).

Observers see both alliances as part of the Jat-Dalit social engineering formula playing out in Haryana politics in the run-up to the elections. With Jats comprising over 22 per cent votes and the Dalits accounting for over 20 per cent votes, the success of the social engineering formula is being keenly watch by political observers.

Both INLD and JJP, which claim to inherit the legacy of former Deputy Prime Minister Devi Lal, trace their vote bank to the rural peasantry, mostly comprising Jats. The BSP and the ASP-KR, on the other hand, claim their support base among the Dalits and other downtrodden sections of society. The ASP-KR, led by MP Chandrasekhar Azad “Ravan”, is testing political waters in Haryana for the first time.

“In view of their dismal performances in the recent Lok Sabha elections, it is a survival issue for the INLD and the JJP in the Assembly elections. Their alliances with the BSP and the ASP-KR seem to be a desperate bid to obtain a respectable vote share in the Assembly elections to remain relevant in Haryana politics,” says Kushal Pal, a political analyst.

Observers believe that the Jat-Dalit electoral combination is ‘formidable’, which can tilt the balance in the favour of any political party. In fact, the consolidation of the Jat and Dalit voters in the favour of the Congress is considered to be the main reason for the party winning five seats in the recent Lok Sabha elections.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha poll, the INLD with just 1.84 per cent vote share and the JJP with 0.87 per cent votes had registered their worst-ever electoral performances. In view of their dismal performances, there was an exodus of senior party leaders, especially from the JJP, to other parties. This was in sharp contrast to the JJP’s performance in the 2019 Assembly poll when it had emerged the kingmaker against the backdrop of a hung Assembly. With over 15 per cent vote share and 10 seats, the JJP stitched together an alliance with the BJP, which lasted for about four-and-a-half years till March this year.

Bid to remain relevant in Haryana politics

In view of their dismal performances in the recent Lok Sabha poll, it is a survival issue for the INLD and the JJP in the Assembly elections. Their alliances with the BSP and the ASP-KR seem to be a desperate bid to obtain a respectable vote share in the Assembly poll to remain relevant in Haryana politics. — Kushal Pal, political analyst