JJP-ASP combine declares 19 nominees, Dushyant to contest from Uchana Kalan

The Jannayak Janta Party (JJP)-Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) alliance today announced the names of 19 candidates for the Haryana Assembly elections. While the JJP fielded 15 candidates, the Azad Samaj Party (ASP) named four. Only four candidates have been repeated.

Former Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala is seeking re-election from Uchana Kalan in Hisar district while his brother Digvijay Chautala is fighting the elections from Dabwali in Sirsa.

Party’s secretary general Digvijay had earlier contested the Jind byelection in 2019 and lost by over 12,000 votes. In the 2019 Lok Sabha poll, he contested from Sonepat but came poor third, getting just over 51,000 votes (less than 5 per cent). This time, he is likely to face sitting Congress MLA Amit Sihag.

Both Sihag and Digvijay families are related to each other. Interestingly, Digvijay’s mother Naina Chautala had defeated Sihag’s father Dr KV Singh in 2014.

The JJP had 10 MLAs in the outgoing House. However, seven of them left the party. It is left with just three legislators, namely Dushyant, her mother Naina and Julana MLA Amarjeet Dhanda.

The party has again fielded Dhanda from Julana while it has reposed faith in Kuldeep Malik from Gohana and Virender Chaudhary from Nalwa. Malik had stood fourth in the 2019 elections from Gohana while Virender Choudhary was third in Nalwa.

Rajdeep Phogat, who had won the 2014 elections, has been fielded from Dadri, Rameshwar Dyal, who had won the 2009 poll, from Bawal (SC), and former minister Parmanand’s son Engineer Dharampal Prajapat from Jind.

Ayushi Abhimanyu Rao has been given ticket from Ateli. She is the niece of former BJP minister Rao Narbir Singh and granddaughter of former minister Rao Mahavir Singh. The JJP has not named any candidate from Badhra, represented by Naina Chautala at present.

The JJP, which relies on Jat votes, has tied up with the ASP for the Assembly poll, in the hope of getting Dalit votes. However, it is the ASP’s first election in the state. The JJP will field candidates on 70 seats while the ASP will contest 20 seats.

From the ASP, Sohail will contest from Sadhaura (SC), Dr Ashok Kashyap from Jagadhri, Vinesh Gujjar from Sohana and Harit Bainsla from Palwal.

The JJP, in a press statement issued, said that the list was released after approval from party’s national president Ajay Singh Chautala and the consent of ASP chief Chandrashekhar Azad. Dushyant will file his nomination paper from Uchana Kalan on Thursday.