Haryana Political Crisis: JJP Offers To Back Congress Against BJP

A day after three independent legislators withdrew their support to the ruling BJP in Haryana and announced their decision to back the main opposition Congress instead, the BJP’s former ally, Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) leader Dushyant Chautala, on Wednesday said all the 10 MLAs of his party would oppose BJP if a no-trust motion is moved against the saffron party.

The BJP has reasons to worry in an event of the no-confidence motion. Here is why: While the Haryana assembly has 90 members, its two seats had fallen vacant diminishing its strength to 88 -- after the former chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar and an independent MLA Ranjit Chautala resigned recently to contest the Lok Sabha seats of Karnal and Hisar, respectively.

At this point, BJP needs to have 45 members to win the no-trust motion. It has 40 MLAs of its own and the support of two independents, besides that of Haryana Lokhit Party’s (HLP’s) sole MLA Gopal Kanda bringing the numbers to 43.

The Congress, on the other hand, has 30 MLAs of its own; it also has the backing of four independents and the sole Indian National Lok Dal MLA Abhay Chautala raising the numbers to 35. In case support of JJP’s 10 MLAs is forthcoming, it would add up to 45 which means a majority in the House of 88.

BJP would need some JJP or independent MLAs to abstain to win

But, notably, the catch here is there are some JJP MLAs, who have been seen siding with the Congress or the BJP after the BJP dumped the JJP about two months ago. And if JJP issues a whip to vote against the BJP in an event of a no-trust move, the BJP would need some of the independents or JJP MLAs to abstain, so as to have a reduced number of MLAs present on the floor of the House, to win with even 43 legislators.

Meanwhile, even though Speaker Gianchand Gupta has told newspersons that he had received no communication in writing about any MLAs withdrawing support or any no-trust move that might be in the offing, there was no threat to the BJP government.

Dushyant Chuatala has, meanwhile, asked all Opposition parties to unite and move the no-trust motion; he has further asked chief minister Nayab Saini to prove his government’s majority on the floor of the House or resign.