The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) announced on Thursday that it will contest the upcoming Haryana elections with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).
The alliance leaders also decided to project Indian National Lok Dal (INDL) leader Abhay Chautala as the chief minister.
Addressing a joint press conference with the BSP at Nayagaon on the outskirts of Chandigarh, Chautala said that the alliance was not based on selfish interests but had been formed keeping in mind the sentiments of the people.
Under the rules, of the 90 assembly seats in Haryana, the BSP will contest 37 seats and the rest for its senior partner in Haryana, where the ruling BJP is seeking a third consecutive term in power.
“In Haryana, we have decided to jointly fight the upcoming assembly elections. Today, the feeling of the common people is to oust the BJP from power, which looted the state, and keep the Congress party, which looted the state 10 years ago,” said Chautala.
BSP national coordinator Akash Anand also said that BSP supremo Mayawati and Chautala held a detailed meeting on strengthening the alliance.
“In the meeting, it has been decided that out of 90 assembly seats in Haryana, BSP will contest in 37 seats and the rest will be contested by INLD,” he said.
Anand said that if the alliance comes to power in the state, Chautala will be the chief minister.
This alliance will not be limited to fighting the assembly polls and we will fight other elections in the state together in future, Anand said.
Soon after the announcement, Mayawati said in a post on X that the BSP and INLD will work together to defeat the anti-people party and form a new coalition government.
“The Bahujan Samaj Party and the Indian National Lok Dal will fight the upcoming assembly elections in Haryana together with the determination to defeat the anti-people parties and form a new coalition government, which was announced at a joint press conference in Chandigarh today with their full blessings,” he said. said.
“Before the press conference of INLD general secretary Abhay Singh Chautala and Anand Kumar BSP, national coordinator Akash Anand and state leader Randhir Beniwal today, successful talks were held between the two parties at my home in New Delhi on alliance,” he said.
The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said there was complete consensus on the issue of seat distribution and expressed hope that the unity between the two parties would help defeat their opponents and form a new government.
Currently, Chautala is the only member of the INLD in the 90-member Haryana Assembly, while the BSP has no members in the House.
In a press conference, Chautala said that he wanted to include more outfits opposing Congress and BJP to join the alliance and build a strong front.
“If necessary, we can also talk to the Aam Aadmi Party,” Chautala said while replying to a query and added that a committee would be formed to talk to other outfits.
He said the INLD would share seats from its quota if other outfits join forces. However, he did not answer that JJP could also be part of the front.
On the occasion, the alliance leader promised various sops to the masses if they come to power.
“We will make arrangements so that no household gets an electricity bill of more than Rs 500 (per month). People will not be burdened with drinking water,” he promised.
Other promises include an increase in old-age pension from the current Rs 3,000 per month to Rs 7,500, free cooking gas cylinders for every household with Rs 1,100 for women for kitchen expenses, Rs 21,000 unemployment allowance for unemployed youth and 100 square meter plots to be implemented. given free to the poor from the Scheduled Caste category.
Chautala also said that the backlog in recruitment related to Scheduled Castes would be filled. Many portals causing inconvenience to the public will be cancelled. The Old Pension Scheme for employees will be restored, he said.
All these promises will be fulfilled in the first meeting of the cabinet, Chautala said.
Chautala said Chaudhary Devi Lal and late BSP founder Kanshi Ram worked to bring big changes in this country. The thinking of BSP and INLD is how the poor will get justice and how the weaker sections will be empowered, he said.
In February 2019, the BSP called off its nearly nine-month alliance with the INLD, which was then Haryana’s main opposition. The development at that time came amid a feud in the Chautala family.
Former MP and Abhay Chautala’s brother Ajay Singh Chautala and his son Ajay Dushyant Chautala had formed the JJP party in December 2018 after a split in the INLD earlier that year.
Prior to this relationship, the two had also been allies for the past few years before parting ways.
INLD and BSP contested the recently held Lok Sabha polls separately in Haryana and both faced severe attacks.
BSP has contested nine out of 10 parliamentary seats while INLD has contested seven seats, but both failed to open their accounts.
Abhay Chautala, who is the sole MLA of INLD in Haryana, had also entered parliament from Kurukshetra parliamentary seat but lost.
(with PTI input)