INDIA VOTES 2024: Jolt to JJP, Guhla MLA’s son joins Congress

Anil Kakkar

Sirsa, May 1

After it split with the BJP, challenges are mounting for the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) before the Lok Sabha elections.

After resigning from the chairmanship of the Haryana Dairy Development Cooperative Federation, JJP MLA Ishwar Singh’s son Randhir Singh joined the Congress here on Wednesday.

Congress Sirsa Lok Sabha candidate Kumari Selja welcomed him into the party fold. On the occasion, former JJP state president Nishan Singh, who recently joined the Congress, was also present.

Randhir Singh had not only resigned from the chairmanship of the Haryana Dairy Development Cooperative Federation last week, but also quit the JJP. There were speculations in political circles that both father and son would join the Congress.

It’s worth mentioning that 12 board and corporation chairmen were appointed from the JJP quota in the coalition government and of them, nine have completed their terms.

Randhir Singh is preparing to contest the Assembly elections, from the Guhla constituency from where his father won in 2019. His wife is the chairperson of the Guhla Municipal Committee.

There are good political relations between JJP MLA Ishwar Singh and Congress leader Kumari Selja. Moreover, there are speculations that Ishwar Singh will also join the Congress.

Welcoming Randhir Singh into the party fold, Kumari Selja said he will strengthen the Congress. She assured that he will be given respect and honour in the party.

Ishwar Singh was elected to the legislative Assembly for the first time in 1977 on the Congress ticket. Subsequently, with Kumari Selja’s support, he became a Rajya Sabha MP and then a member of the National Scheduled Caste Commission. After not getting the ticket from the Congress in the 2019 Assembly elections, he contested and won on the JJP ticket.

Recently, MLA Ishwar Singh had opened a front against former Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala. During a press conference at his residence in Cheeka last Friday, he had not only criticised Dushyant Chautala, but also expressed his disappointment over not becoming a Cabinet minister.

Flaying the former Deputy Chief Minister, he said when he joined the JJP, there was no existence of the party in the state and despite that, he won the elections and he was the sole JJP MLA from Kaithal district in the 2019 Assembly elections.

He claimed that he was in contention to become a minister in the government for many days, but in the end, Dushyant sidelined him and promoted junior MLAs.

Preparing to fight Assembly poll

• Randhir Singh had not only resigned from the chairmanship of the Haryana Dairy Development Cooperative Federation last week, but also quit the JJP.
• There were speculations in political circles that both father and son would join the Congress.
• He is preparing to contest the Assembly elections from the Guhla constituency, from where his father won in 2019. His wife is the chairperson of the Guhla Municipal Committee.

Father had flayed ex-Dy CM

Recently, MLA Ishwar Singh had opened a front against former Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala. During a press conference at his residence in Cheeka last Friday, he had not only criticised Dushyant Chautala, but also expressed his disappointment over not becoming a Cabinet minister.