The BJP does not want to end its ties with Dushyant Chautala’s JJP, which aims to contest about 30 seats in Rajasthan. “In a tightly contested election, the smaller parties could divide the anti-incumbency votes,” says a party leader
The BJP’s ties with its Haryana ally Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) have turned more precarious but the political compulsions in neighbouring Rajasthan seem to be preventing a break-up, sources have said.
While both the BJP and the JJP are determined to fight all the 10 Lok Sabha seats in the state separately, the BJP national leadership is increasingly facing calls from its state unit to snap ties with the Dushyant Chautala-led party whose support it had taken to form the government after falling short of a majority in the 2019 Assembly elections.
Sources said the national leadership initially signalled to the state team to find ways to prop up the Manohar Lal Khattar government without the JJP’s backing but reviewed its stand after taking into account the fierce electoral battle at hand in Rajasthan. The BJP does not want to antagonise the JJP, which has influence in some pockets in the Assembly constituencies in the border districts, said BJP insiders. The seven Rajasthan districts of Hanumangarh, Jhunjhunu, Churu, Sikar, Jaipur, Alwar, and Bharatpur share borders with Haryana.
With the JJP keen on expanding its electoral footprint in neighbouring states, Chautala is expected to field candidates in at least 30-35 constituencies in Rajasthan and the BJP does not want to provoke its ally that has the potential to play spoiler in some of the constituencies. In an Idea Exchange programme in August, Dushyant, the Deputy CM, said the party had prepared plans to contest about 30 seats in Rajasthan.
