Another INLD MLA switches loyalties, but Abhay’s LoP status to stay intact

Sushil Manav
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, March 22

There seems to be no immediate threat to the Leader of Opposition (LoP) status of senior INLD leader Abhay Singh Chautala though the Congress now has more MLAs than his party after Ranbir Singh Gangwa joined the BJP.

Gangwa, who was elected MLA on the INLD ticket from Nalwa Assembly seat in Hisar district in 2014, joined the BJP in New Delhi on Thursday, giving a jolt to the INLD on the day of Holi.

In 2010, the INLD had sent Gangwa to the Rajya Sabha. While his two-year term for the Rajya Sabha was remaining, the party fielded him from Nalwal against former CM Bhajan Lal’s wife of the Haryana Janhit Congress during the 2014 Assembly elections and he won the seat.

“The INLD and its party patriarch Chaudhary Om Prakash Chautala gave me a lot of respect. I have no complaints against the party or its leadership. But after a split in the Chautala clan and subsequent formation of the JJP, the party cadre appear to be disgruntled,” said Gangwa talking to The Tribune after his entry into the BJP.

Asked whether he would resign as MLA, Gangwa responded in the negative. Sources said that unless Gangwa resigned as MLA or gave in writing to the Speaker about his switching over to the BJP or the INLD expelled him from the party, there would be no change in number of MLAs of different political parties in the state Assembly and hence there would be no threat to the LoP status of Abhay Chautala.

The INLD won 19 seats in 2014 Assembly polls, but the party’s strength has been reduced to 17 after death of Hari Chand Middha (Jind) and Jaswinder Singh Sandhu (Pehowa). In a bypoll held at Jind after Middha’s death, the BJP won that seat.

On the other hand, the Congress won 15 seats in 2014, but its strength in the Assembly has increased to 17 after Kuleep Bishnoi merged his HJC with the party and he as well as wife Renuka Bishnoi, MLA from Hansi, joined the party.

Already four INLD MLAs — Naina Chautala (Dabwali), Anoop Dhanak (Uklana) Rajdeep Phogat (Dadri) and Pirthi Nambardar (Narwana) — have been supporting the JJP, but neither have they resigned as legislators nor the INLD has expelled them from the party for obvious reasons.

Officially, no change in numbers  

Unless Ranbir Singh Gangwa resigns as MLA or gives in writing to the Speaker about his switching over to the BJP or the INLD expels him from the party, there will be no change in number of MLAs of different political parties in the state Assembly. Hence, there will be no threat to the Leader of Opposition status of Abhay Chautala.