assembly-elections

Updated: Oct 25, 2019 13:00 IST

Jananayak Janata Party leader Dushyant Chautala, who has emerged as a key player in Haryana politics by winning 10 seats in the 90-member assembly-- barely 11 months after floating his own party-- will meet his father Ajay Chautala in Tihar jail before taking a final decision on his party’s future course of action.

Before Dushyant meets his father in Tihar, he would have discussed his party’s options in the aftermath of the election results throwing up a hung assembly, in meetings with party MLAs and the national executive in Delhi.

A press conference has also been planned for 4pm at his Janpath residence.

Dushyant’s father Ajay Chautala has been jailed in the Junior Basic Trained (JBT) teachers’ recruitment case since 2013. Dushyant along with his father and brother floated JJP in November last year after his grandfather, Om Prakash Chautala, threw them out of the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD). Dushyant has led the party since then and helped it emerge as a serious player in Haryana politics.

Jind bypoll in January this year was JJP’s first electoral test in which Dushyant’s younger brother Digvijay finished runner-up.

The JJP snatched several INLD strongholds such as Uchana Kalan, Badhra, Narnaund, Uklana, Gulha, Barwala, Jullana, Narwana, Shahbad and Tohana in October 21 Assemby polls.

Dushyant has not taken a final stand on joining hands with either the BJP or the Congress after he appeared to have emerged as a kingmaker in the hung assembly. Chautala’s meeting with party MLAs follows reports indicating the BJP--the single largest party with 40 MLAs-- may have enlisted Gopal Kanda and seven Independents’ support to bridge the gap of six MLAs required to form the government.

The Congress bagged 31 seats and surprised even most of its own cadre as the grand old party was expected to be a washout.

Congress leader Bhupinder Hooda, too, is meeting with MLAs and key party leaders at 10, Janpath. The BJP, too, has summoned its MLAs to the Capital.

The Congress said on Thursday that the Assembly election results in Haryana and Maharashtra was a moral defeat for the BJP.