The Haryana unit of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Friday indicated on Friday that it could end its nearly 10-month-old alliance with the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and tie-up with the Loktantra Suraksha Party (LSP) floated by rebel BJP parliamentarian Raj Kumar Saini.
“A decision regarding our alliance with the INLD has been taken. We have decided to forge a tie-up with LSP,” state BSP president Prakash Bharti said.
A formal announcement is likely to be made in Chandigarh on Saturday.
The development comes days after the INLD suffered a humiliating defeat at the hustings in the Jind bypoll, which was won by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. The new alliance is significant in caste-based politics of Haryana with the two parties hoping to consolidate the non-Jat votes.
BSP has a support base among Dalits while Saini has been at the centre of non-Jat politics in Haryana for the past two years. Saini has been raising voice against reservation to Jats in government jobs.
Saini, the BJP MP from Kurukshetra had last year floated the LSP and Vinod Ashri, the candidate fielded by him in the Jind bypoll, had put up a better performance than INLD’s Umed Singh Redhu.
“With the alliance of LSP and BSP, there won’t be division of our votes. The alliance of same ideologies always proves fruitful. In future, more like minded parties may join the alliance,” Ashri told said.
Bharti also indicated possibilities of a maha-gathbandhan in Haryana in which others, including the Aam Aadmi Party, might also be included.
Saini was not available for comments but LSP spokesperson Sanjay Gyan said any possibility can’t be denied in politics.
“We have communicated our stand on alliance to Abhay Singh Chautala and Ashok Arora (INLD state unit chief). What can we do when their (Chautalas) quarrel is still going on? Now, we have to review the alliance. We have taken viewpoint of the BSP workers also,” said Bharti.
The BSP had on Monday hinted that it might call off its alliance with the INLD — led by Om Prakash Chautala, who is serving a jail term in connection with a teachers-recruitment scam. Senior INLD leaders were not available for comments.
Haryana INLD chief Ashok Arora refused to comment.
The INLD and the BSP had entered into an alliance last April and decided to jointly fight the 2019 Lok Sabha and Assembly polls. INLD leader Abhay Chautala had on Wednesday rejected reports that his party’s alliance with the BSP was under strain.
(With PTI inputs)
