Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) leader Abhay Singh Chautala has recently accused the Congress party of being the "B-team" of the BJP, citing the 2019 Haryana Assembly elections as proof.
Chautala, speaking in Yamunanagar, alleged that Congress leader and former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda succumbed to pressure from the BJP and the Enforcement Directorate (ED). He claimed that Hooda knowingly gave tickets to approximately 30 sitting MLAs who were likely to lose, based on survey reports.
In the 2019 Haryana Legislative Assembly election, the BJP emerged as the single largest party but fell short of a majority. They won 40 seats, while the Congress secured 31. The Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), led by Dushyant Chautala, won 10 seats and became a kingmaker in the state. The BJP then formed a post-poll alliance with the JJP and some independent MLAs to form the government. Manohar Lal Khattar of the BJP and Dushyant Chautala were sworn in as Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister, respectively.
Abhay Singh Chautala's accusations echo similar sentiments expressed by Congress leaders in 2019. Following the announcement of the BJP-JJP coalition, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala stated that the JJP was, and would always be, the "B-team" of the BJP. He suggested that the BJP uses such parties to divide society and gain power.
The 2019 elections saw a voter turnout of 68.20%. While the BJP aimed to win more than 75 seats, they ultimately fell short of their target. The Congress, led by Selja Kumari and Bhupinder Singh Hooda, gained 15 seats compared to the previous election.
Recent political developments in Haryana have further highlighted the shifting dynamics between these parties. Brijendra Singh, who had previously won the Hisar Lok Sabha seat on a BJP ticket, switched to the Congress. In the recent past, the JJP formed a coalition government with BJP from October 2019 to March 2024. In the 2024 elections, the JJP failed to win a single seat. The INLD and BSP had a pre-poll alliance, as did JJP with the Azad Samaj Party (ASP) for the 2024 Assembly elections.
