Saffron party may go in for ‘seat adjustment’ with smaller parties

Pradeep Sharma

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 19

Despite the announcement of ruling BJP that it would go alone in the upcoming October 1 Assembly elections in Haryana, the saffron party may go in for ‘seat adjustment’ with ‘like-minded’ smaller political outfits.

The localised poll arrangements with smaller parties such as Haryana Janchetna Party (HJP) headed by former Union Minister Venod Sharma and the Haryana Lokhit Party (HLP) headed by Sirsa MLA Gopal Kanda is seen as an important shift in the BJP poll strategy after break-up of its alliance with the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) in March this year. The contours of political arrangements with these smaller players are being worked out, sources said.

The sources said these two political outfits had been supporting the BJP. The ‘strategic alliance’ with these parties was natural given the fact that the saffron party was locked in a tough contest with the Congress in the forthcoming Assembly polls. The localised poll arrangements with these parties will stand the BJP in good stead in the Assembly elections as they have influence over a few seats in their areas, the sources asserted.

Venod Sharma, a former two-time MLA from the Ambala City Assembly segment, is an influential leader in the Ambala and Panchkula districts. His wife Shakti Rani Sharma is the Mayor of the Ambala City Municipal Corporation. Meanwhile, Sharma, the prominent Brahmin face in the Haryana politics, also fits into the non-Jat narrative of the BJP ahead of the Assembly polls.

Similarly, Kanda is an influential leader in the Sirsa district. As an Independent MLA, Gopal Kanda has been extending support to the BJP government from outside. His brother Gobind Kanda unsuccessfully contested the Ellenabad bypoll from the BJP ticket in 2021.

Recently, Gopal Kanda met senior BJP leaders, including Union Minister Amit Shah and Dharmendra Pradhan for ‘poll alliance’ with the BJP. Even Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini recently announced in Sirsa that the BJP would jointly ‘contest’ the polls with Kanda though he did not elaborate on the nature of the ‘alliance’.

However, the sources said the saffron party was not averse to leaving a couple of seats for these parties provided they ‘supported’ the BJP in their strongholds.

Localised poll arrangement

The localised poll arrangements with smaller parties such as Haryana Janchetna Party (HJP) headed by former Union Minister Venod Sharma and the Haryana Lokhit Party (HLP) headed by Sirsa MLA Gopal Kanda is seen as an important shift in the BJP poll strategy after break-up of its alliance with the JJP in March this year.

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