After having emerged as the prominent force in Haryana’s political landscape with 10 assembly seats in 2019 assembly polls, the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) is now grappling with severe fragmentation as the 2024 election schedule is announced.
Soon after the announcement of polls the JJP was dealt crippling blows one after the another with the defections of four more MLAs—Anoop Dhanak, Ram Karan Kala, Devender Babli, and Ishwar Singh—leaving it with just three legislators Dushyant Chautala (Uchana), his mother Naina Chautala (Badhra), and Amarjeet Dhanda (Julana).
This political upheaval stripped the JJP of its key position in the state government and further eroded its standing. Additionally, April witnessed another blow as JJP state president Nishan Singh defected to the Congress.
The turmoil began on March 12 when the JJP’s alliance with the BJP ended abruptly. The BJP’s appointment of Nayab Saini as Chief Minister, replacing Manohar Lal, triggered a cascade of resignations, including Dushyant Chautala’s role as Deputy Chief Minister. The party’s internal discord has been evident for months. At least five out of its ten MLAs had previously defected to the BJP. In response, the JJP sought the disqualification of two MLAs—Barwala’s Jogi Ram Sihag and Narwana’s Ram Niwas—through Speaker Gian Chand Gupta. However, before any resolution could be reached, the ECI announced the assembly elections, adding to the party’s turmoil.
The JJP was founded in December 2018 by Dushyant Chautala, emerging from a split within the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) in general and Chautala family in particular and representing a shift in Jat-dominated political dynamics of the state. Initially seen as a counterforce to the INLD, the JJP achieved notable success in the 2019 elections by securing 10 seats and a 14.84% vote share, significantly diminishing the INLD’s influence.
However, despite his initial criticism of the BJP, Chautala’s decision to align with the BJP and serve as Deputy Chief Minister led to accusations of betrayal from his own party members. Duhyant’s open critics, including MLAs Ram Kumar Gautam and Ishwar Singh, have accused Dushyant of neglecting their concerns while favouring BJP interests.
Dushyant’s attempts to address the alliance issues were unsuccessful. Despite seeking a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, negotiations over seat-sharing for the Lok Sabha elections broke down, further straining relations between the JJP and BJP.
The JJP’s declining fortunes were highlighted in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, where it managed only 0.87% of the vote share, with all candidates failing to secure deposits. This followed a similarly dismal performance in the Rajasthan Assembly polls, where the JJP’s candidates lost their deposits and secured a mere 0.14% vote share, even falling short of the NOTA (None of the Above) option.
After the LS polls debacle Dushyant expressed gratitude to the people of Haryana for the opportunity to serve and reaffirmed his commitment to the ideals of Jananayak Chaudhary Devi Lal, focusing on the socio-economic welfare of Haryana’s citizens.
Reacting to the desertions Dushyant said that nothing is permanent in politics; there is constant turmoil. “Those who cannot align themselves with any ideology due to their greed are always running from one place to another, and their coming and going does not affect the party”,
For improving the party’s image, he said, “Our party’s ideology is based on the principles of Jananayak Chaudhary Devi Lal. Many MLAs deserted Chaudhary Devi Lal as well, but he always stood firm on his principles and ideas and fought throughout his life. When given the opportunity, he worked for every section of society”
“Struggle is part of our legacy. Chaudhary Devi Lal never lacked the love of his workers, and JJP will never lack dedicated workers either”, he added
