Regional Parties in Haryana Assembly Elections
While the Haryana assembly elections are expected to be a straight fight between BJP and Congress, regional parties like INLD and JJP are fighting to save their political survival. At one time, state politics not only revolved around the INLD but also captured power at times. Not only has the INLD reached the height of power in Haryana, the 2024 assembly elections have become do-or-die for the JJP, which became the kingmaker in 2019. This is the reason why INLD has formed an alliance with Dalit based parties like BSP and JJP.
Ever since Haryana became a separate state from Punjab, it has been regionalizing and becoming anonymous. Not only the INLD by Chaudhary Devi Lal, former Chief Minister Rao Birendra Singh formed parties and rose to power in the names of the Greater Haryana Party (VHP), Chaudhary Bhajan Lal’s Haryana Janhit Congress (HJK) and Chaudhary Bansi Lal’s Haryana Vikas Party (HVP). . Reached the pinnacle of power. While INLD is fighting to save its existence, parties like VHP, HJK and HVP are registered in the pages of history.
Rao Birendra formed the first party in Haryana
Haryana was formed in 1967 and within a year a new political party emerged. In 1967, Rao Birendra Singh was elected as an MLA from the Congress, but was upset at not being made the Chief Minister. After this, he broke away from Congress and formed a regional party named Vishal Haryana Party in 1968. In the 1968 assembly elections held in Haryana, Rao Birendra Singh fielded Vishal Haryana Party candidates on 39 seats. Out of these it won 12 seats and the party got 14.86 percent votes. This is how he became the Chief Minister. After this, in 1971, Rao Birendra Vishal won the Mahendragarh Lok Sabha election from the Haryana Party.
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Merged with Congress
In the 1972 general election, he contested 15 seats and won 3. In 1977, he also became the MLA from Ateli from the same party, but on 23 September 1978, he merged his party with the Congress (I) on the request of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. MLAs and MPs are elected from Congress. Rao Birendra’s political legacy is being carried on by his son Rao Indrajit. First he is an MP from Congress and now from BJP. After the Manmohan government, now he is a minister in the Modi government. In 2014, he left Congress and joined BJP and this time BJP has given ticket to his daughter Aarti Rao from Atela seat in the assembly elections.
Chaudhary Devilal formed the INLD
Former Deputy Prime Minister Devi Lal started his political innings with the Congress, but later joined the Janata Party and the Janata Dal. Devilal made the journey from CM of Haryana to Deputy Prime Minister of the country. Devilal’s political legacy was taken over by his son Om Prakash Chautala and he managed to maintain his political dominance in Haryana. Devi Lal first formed the party as Haryana Lok Dal in 1996 and later renamed it Indian National Lok Dal in 1997. INLD is in the hands of Om Prakash Chautala. After forming the INLD, Om Prakash Chautala became the Chief Minister of Haryana twice.
INLD has entered the fray with BSP
Congress and INLD have been in competition for a long time in Haryana politics. Although Omprakash Chautala is the president of INLD, his son Abhay Chautala is handling the political work. Because of this, political discord arose in the Chautala family. In the year 2018, INLD was divided into two parts. Om Prakash Chautala’s son Ajay Chautala has formed a new party in the name of JJP. INLD got only one seat in 2019 assembly elections and its vote share also fell to 1.72 percent. If the INLD’s performance in the 2024 assembly elections does not improve, the regional party will lose its identity and the Chashma electoral symbol will also be stripped. Therefore, INLD has entered the electoral fray in alliance with BSP so that it can maintain its political survival with the Dalit-Jat equation.
Bansilal formed the Haryana Vikas Party
Chaudhary Bansilal, who became the face of Congress in Haryana, has held the post of chief minister four times. When the Congress expelled Chaudhary Bansilal from the party in 1991, he formed the Haryana Vikas Party with his supporters. In the 1996 assembly elections, Bansilal’s party ousted the Congress by winning 33 seats. Chaudhary Bansilal came to power in Haryana with the support of the BJP, but in 1999 the alliance with the BJP broke down due to differences over prohibition. After this the government fell.
Haryana Vikas Party merged with Congress
Eight years later, in 2004, when Bansi Lal’s health began to deteriorate, he merged the Haryana Vikas Party with the Congress. Bansi Lal’s legacy is being taken over by her daughter-in-law Kiran Chaudhary and now her daughter Shruti Chaudhary has contested the election. In such a situation Bansilal’s grandson Anirudh has also entered the fray and contested from Tosham seat on Congress ticket. Because of this, the fight for Bansilal’s political heir has now become a Tosham election.
Bhajanlal’s Haryana Janhit Congress
Veteran Congress leader Chaudhary Bhajanlal was the Chief Minister of Haryana. In 2005, Bhupendra Singh Hooda replaced Bhajan Lal, who brought the Congress back to power in Haryana. Because of this, Bhajanlal got angry and left the Congress and in the year 2007 worked to form a new party named Haryana Janhit Congress. In the 2009 assembly elections, six MLAs were elected from Bhajanlal’s Haryana Janhit Congress. Bhajanlal’s son Kuldeep Bishnoi also became an MLA, but four MLAs from his party joined the Congress.
Kuldeep Bishnoi contested the 2014 assembly elections single-handedly, but could not pull off any major miracles. After this in the year 2016, Kuldeep Bishnoi merged his party with Congress. He then became an MLA on a Congress ticket in 2019, but joined the BJP in 2023. BJP has once again fielded Kuldeep Bishnoi’s son Bhavi Bishnoi from Adampur seat. Congress has given ticket to Bhajanlal’s second son Chandramohan from Panchkula.
Political survival is at stake for JJP
The INLD formed by Devi Lal was split between Om Prakash Chautala’s two sons in 2018. Ajay Chautala along with his son Dushyant Chautala formed a separate party called JJP. The JJP managed to win ten MLAs in the 2019 assembly elections, making it the kingmaker. JJP supported BJP and Dushyant Chautala became Deputy CM. JJP became the axis of power, but within five years, 7 out of 10 JJP MLAs left the party. In which some are contesting elections from Congress and some from BJP. For the JJP, this election is to save its political survival, which has led it to form an alliance with Dalit leader Chandrashekhar Azad’s Azad Samaj Party.
