Reposing faith in the non-Jat face in the run-up to the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the JJP today appointed Brij Sharma as its new state unit chief. He will replace Nishan Singh, who quit the party recently.
Pradeep Sharma
Chandigarh, April 26
Reposing faith in the non-Jat face in the run-up to the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the JJP today appointed Brij Sharma as its new state unit chief. He will replace Nishan Singh, who quit the party recently.
A confidant of former Deputy CM Dushyant Chautala, Sharma’s appointment was announced by JJP founder and national president Ajay Chautala.
Aim to strengthen party setup
My primary aim is to strengthen the organisational setup of the JJP ahead of the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. A well-knit organisation will perform better in the state this year. Brij Sharma, JJP State chief
In naming a Brahmin face as the new chief, the JJP has tried to shed its image of a “Jat-dominated” party ahead of the elections.
Formed out of the vertical split in the INLD in 2018, the JJP emerged as the kingmaker after the 2019 Assembly elections in Haryana. Winning 10 seats, the JJP cobbled together an alliance with the BJP (which won 40 of 90 seats) and the alliance lasted for over four years. The BJP dumped its junior alliance partner last month on the issue of seat-sharing for the Lok Sabha elections.
The breaking of alliance with the BJP plunged the party into crisis, with a spate of resignations, including that of its state chief Nishan Singh and general secretary Kamlesh Saini. Besides, of 10 MLAs, five virtually formed a separate group and are cosying up with the BJP.
It is widely believed that the Jat peasantry, the erstwhile vote bank of the JJP’s parent party, INLD, was largely instrumental in the party’s success in the 2019 Assembly poll. While the JJP was able to secure 10 seats, the INLD, which once ruled Haryana and had been the main opposition party, was reduced to one seat.
The appointment of Sharma, a Karnal resident, assumes importance as he would have to take the party out of these challenges. An organisation man, Sharma has been the Karnal district president of the party. However, his electoral foray from the Assandh Assembly segment in 2019 ended on a dismal note as he was placed sixth.
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