In the Haryana Assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) might not formally announce an alliance with Gopal Kanda’s Haryana Lokhit Party, but it could leave one seat for Kanda through mutual agreement. So far, BJP has announced candidates for 87 out of 90 assembly seats in Haryana.
BJP has not revealed candidates for three seats: Faridabad NIT, Mahendragarh, and Sirsa. Currently, Gopal Kanda is the MLA from Sirsa.
Gopal Kanda Previously Supported the BJP-JJP Alliance
In the 2019 Assembly elections, BJP won 40 seats, and Dushyant Chautala's JJP secured 10 seats. To form a stable government, BJP allied with JJP, making Dushyant Chautala the Deputy Chief Minister. Gopal Kanda supported the BJP-JJP coalition government unconditionally for the entire five-year term.
Gopal Kanda wanted BJP to leave two seats, Sirsa and Rania, for him, but he declared Dhawal Kanda as the candidate for Rania. Consequently, BJP fielded Shishpal Kamboj from Rania. BJP now faces a tough challenge as Ranjit Chautala has also announced his independent candidacy from Rania while Dhawal Kanda from Kanda's party is already in the fray, potentially benefiting Congress.
What Happens if There is Mutual Agreement?
Sources suggest that BJP has communicated to Gopal Kanda that the party will not field a candidate against him in Sirsa, provided that Dhawal Kanda from Haryana Lokhit Party withdraws his nomination from Rania seat. The last date for filing nominations in the Haryana Assembly elections is September 12.
Owing to the farmers' protest, INLD president Abhay Chautala resigned from the MLA post of Ellenabad. In the by-election for Ellenabad, BJP fielded Gopal Kanda’s brother Gobind Kanda, who was previously jailed in the air hostess Geetika suicide case but was acquitted after 11 years.
