INLD, BSP to jointly contest Haryana polls

Of the 90 Assembly seats, BSP will contest 37, leaving the rest for its senior partner

Chandigarh: The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) has decided to again join hands with its former ally Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) for the Haryana Assembly polls scheduled later this year, the leaders of the two parties announced on Thursday.

Under the arrangement, of the 90 Assembly seats in Haryana, the BSP will contest 37, leaving the rest for its senior partner in Haryana, where the ruling BJP is eyeing to come to power for third time in a row.

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Addressing a joint press conference with the BSP at Nayagaon on the outskirts of Chandigarh, INLD leader Abhay Chautala said this alliance is not based on any selfish interests, but has been formed keeping in mind people’s feelings.

The BSP and INLD’s thinking is how the poor will get justice and how weaker sections will get empowered, he said.

“In Haryana, we have decided to jointly fight the upcoming Assembly elections. Today, the feeling of common people is to oust the BJP from power and keep the Congress party at bay, which looted the state for 10 years earlier,” Chautala said.

BSP national coordinator Akash Anand said recently BSP supremo Mayawati and Chautala had held a detailed meeting regarding firming up of the alliance.

“In that meeting, it had been decided that out of 90 assembly seats in Haryana, the BSP will contest on 37 seats,” he said.

In February 2019, the BSP had called off its nearly nine-month-old alliance with the INLD, which was then Haryana’s main opposition outfit. The development at that time had come amid a feud in the Chautala family.