INLD, BSP join hands for Haryana Assembly poll, Abhay Chautala to be CM face

Chandigarh, July 11

The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) today forged an alliance with its former ally, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), for the Haryana Assembly elections scheduled for October while declaring INLD’s Abhay Chautala as the chief ministerial face.

Addressing a press conference here today, Abhay Chautala, also the INLD’s national secretary general, and BSP national coordinator Akash Anand spelt out the seat-sharing agreement and a joint manifesto of the two parties.

Both parties forged first alliance in 1996

• The INLD and BSP first entered into an alliance in 1996. While the INLD won four seats in the parliamentary elections, the BSP won one seat
• In 2018, the two parties entered into a pact for the second time. However, the alliance broke following a feud in the Chautala clan

Of the 90 Assembly seats in Haryana, the BSP will contest 37 seats while the INLD will contest 53 seats. “We have not decided on which seats either party will contest. The seats will be decided on the basis of winnability of the candidates. In case, more parties join our non-Congress and non-BJP alliance, the INLD will leave seats from its share for them. INLD state president Rampal Majra has been authorised to hold talks with those who want to join the alliance. We, Anand and I, will take a final call,” Abhay Chautala said.

This is the third time an alliance has been worked out between the INLD and BSP. Anand announced that Abhay Chautala would be the CM face of the alliance and that the two parties had joined hands for the long haul and not simply for the Assembly poll.

“The common man wants to oust the BJP while he wants to keep the Congress out of power. We will explore alliances with other political and social outfits as well,” Chautala said.

Akash Anand said BSP supremo Mayawati and Abhay Chautala had held a detailed meeting in Delhi where the seat-sharing details were worked out. Harping on the similarity between the late Deputy PM Devi Lal and BSP founder late Kanshi Ram, Abhay Chautala said they both worked to bring a big change in and empowered the weaker sections. Announcing the broader points of a joint manifesto, Chautala said permanent jobs would be offered instead of contractual while power bills would be brought down by setting up solar plants and panels. Clearing the backlog of SC jobs, 100 yard plots to SC families were also promised.