BJP's Haryana Ally Delivers A Rejoinder To Amit Shah's 2024 Target

In a sign of friction between Haryana's ruling parties, Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala of the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) has countered the BJP's ambitious claims of eyeing all 10 Lok Sabha seats in the state.

"Neither can we stop BJP, nor can BJP stop us," Mr Chautala told reporters in Bhiwani, stating that his party is also preparing to contest and win all 10 seats.

The JJP leader's remarks followed a bold proclamation by Union Home Minister Amit Shah at a rally in Sirsa this week, where he voiced confidence in the BJP's ability to secure all 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana. Mr Shah's rally aimed at rallying support for the BJP, expressing hopes for the party to win over 300 seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

This comes amid speculation over the future of the BJP-JJP alliance that has been governing Haryana since 2019. The BJP fell short of a majority in the Assembly polls that year, winning 40 seats out of the 90-member Haryana Vidhan Sabha, and subsequently formed a government with the support of the JJP, which had won 10 seats.

"We are also preparing for 10 out of 10 seats," Mr Chautala said, hinting at a competitive undercurrent within the coalition. The Deputy Chief Minister also suggested that his father, Dr Ajay Chautala, could be a contender for a seat from Bhiwani.

Despite the escalating verbal conflict, Mr Chautala insisted that the coalition government is running strong and will continue to do so. He attributed this resilience to the steady growth of JJP's vote bank, which he said has been on the rise since the party's inception.

"Since the formation of JJP, our vote bank is continuously increasing. Our target is to get 40 per cent votes in the next one year. The government is running strong in the coalition and will continue to run. Due to the strength of the organization, neither can we stop BJP nor can BJP stop us," Mr Chautala said.

He also took aim at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's election campaign from Jind, saying that "smaller parties" are launching campaigns in the region to weaken the JJP.