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Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, February 9
After the Jind byelection debacle, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has snapped ties with the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD). On Saturday, it announced an alliance with Kurukshetra MP Raj Kumar Saini’s Loktantra Suraksha Party (LSP) for the upcoming Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Haryana.
Haryana in-charge of BSP Megh Raj said that earlier, the party had an alliance with the INLD which had got weakened due to the feud in the Chautala family.
“Otherwise, it was a strong alliance. The Jind byelection results proved that the feud in the Chautala family could bring oppressors of Dalits and backward classes to power again. We want to defeat the BJP in the state, but the alliance with the INLD was benefitting them,” he added.
When asked about the brother-sister relation between INLD leader Abhay Chautala and BSP supremo Mayawati as she had tied ‘rakhi’ to him, Megh Raj said, “The relation of ‘rakhi’ still stands. We are trying to have an alliance of discriminated and poor people. It will not break. We have snapped ties with the INLD on the directions of Mayawati,” he added.
Raj Kumar Saini said, “It is an alliance of hearts. We want to make Mayawati the next PM.”
Saini said that out of 10 Lok Sabha seats in the state, the BSP would contest on eight and LSP on two. He added that it was not decided which party would contest from where.
“For the Assembly elections, out of 90 seats, LSP will contest 55 and BSP 35,” said Megh Raj.
When asked who would be the CM candidate, he said, “It is yet to be decided. But the division of seats suggests who will be CM.”
When questioned whether the alliance was for consolidating non-Jat votes and whether any Jat would get ticket from the alliance, Megh Raj said, “No community, including Jats, will be left out. We will go with all the communities.” Saini said, “I am not against any community.” He added, “I left the BJP four years ago. If they are not expelling me, what I can do?”
He also expressed displeasure at the 10 per cent Economically Weaker Section (EWS) quota. “For all these years, those in power have grabbed all the benefits.”
Saini had won from Kurukshetra on a BJP ticket. He said that they were yet to decide whether he would campaign across the state or contest from Kurukshetra again.
Saini formed the LSP in September 2018. He is a prominent voice against Jat reservation in the state. He won his first Assembly election from Naraingarh in 1996. In the Jind byelection, his party’s candidate got 13,582 votes while the INLD, which was contesting in alliance with the BSP, secured only 3,454 votes.
The BSP has never won a seat from Haryana except in 1998 when Aman Kumar Nagra won the Ambala Lok Sabha seat.
Alliances a routine affair: Minister
Rewari: Reacting to the BSP-LSP coalition, PWD Minister Rao Narbir Singh said poll alliance between parties is a routine affair in an election year. There would be no effect of this new alliance on state politics. Rao stated this while interacting with mediapersons after inaugurating a PWD Rest House constructed on the Garhi-Bolni road here. TNS
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