Chandigarh, Oct 24 (IANS) With a neck-and-neck fight on between the ruling BJP and the Congress in Haryana as the state appears heading to a hung Assembly, the less than one-year-old Jannayak Janata Party’s (JJP) Dushyant Chautala seems all set to play the kingmaker.
His mother Naina Chautala, who is also in the fray from Badhra and leading with a good margin, said in the event of a hung Assembly the party would wait and watch until a clearer picture emerges.
“Initial trends indicate that the JJP is performing well. It is too early to commit anything. We will wait and watch till 3 p.m. when the entire picture will be clear,” she said.
It is learnt that the Congress and the BJP — both were trying to reach out to the JJP to stitch an alliance.
Sources said the Congress high command gave a free hand to its two-time Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda to open parleys with Chautala for any future alliance.
The saffron party also is trying Akali Dal patron and five-time Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to mediate with the JJP to have a post-poll understanding.
The Akali Dal has a pre-poll alliance with Om Prakash Chautala-led Indian National Lok Dal (INLD). The senior Chautala, who is Dushyant’s grandpa, is serving a 10-year jail term in Tihar for his involvement in a teacher recruitment scam.
The JJP is a breakaway group of the INLD.
–IANS
vg/in