Third Front in Haryana, with INLD-BSP preroll alliance, others may join soon

The Indian National Lok Dal and Bahujan Samaj Party, today formally announced their preroll alliance for the Haryana assembly elections scheduled for October later this year. The two parties allied in the past too but after the discouraging 2024 Lok sabha results, in which the INLD secured a mere 1.74 percent vote and BSP secured just 1.28 percent vote and both failed to open their account, decided to enter an alliance with each other for the upcoming Haryana elections. This would be the third time when both parties will contest together in Haryana. 

The news of the alliance was confirmed by both parties on Saturday when INLD general secretary Abhay Chautala met BSP Supremo Mayawati at her New Delhi residence, but the formal announcement was reserved for 11th July after an agreement on seat sharing. Addressing the media, Akash Anand, National Coordinator of BSP, announced that BSP will contest 37 seats and INLD will fight for 53 seats in Haryana. Anand also declared that Abhay Chautala will be the main face of the coalition in Haryana.

Addressing the joint press conference, INLD general secretary Abhay Chautala promised a cap of Rs 500 on family electricity bills and free drinking water for household use. Additionally, he declared that senior citizens would receive a monthly old-age pension of Rs 7,500. Chautala promised to provide each household with a free LPG gas cylinder and Rs 1,100 per month to run the kitchen if elected. The INLD leader announced that 100 square feet of land would be distributed to the impoverished who belong to the Scheduled Caste (SC) category and that young people without jobs would receive an unemployment benefit of Rs 2,100 per month. In the first Cabinet meeting following the election, Chautala stated that the alliance would put these decisions into action.

Notably, both parties have their loyal vote bank which can create problems for both Congress and BJP.  BSP is known for taking the lower caste votes away from the major parties while INLD which is on the brink after the split in 2018 has loyal voters in the Jat-dominating areas of Bhiwani, Hisar, Sirsa, Hansi, Kurukshetra. 

It was in 1998, during the Lok Sabha elections, when both parties came together and formed the alliance for the first time. Back then, in the 1990s, INLD was a potent force, both at the state and the national level, people across the caste and religion used to vote on the name of Ch. Devilal. Contesting together for the first time in 1996, INLD won 4 seats of Hisar, Bhiwani, Sirsa, and Kurukshetra out of 7 it contested and BSP won the seat of Ambala out of the 3 seats it contested. 

Now, putting up the third front against the Congress and BJP, the INLD-BSP alliance has also left the room open for more parties to enter. Akash Anand, while addressing the joint press conference said, “We can talk to the AAP too, if needed, for an alliance. A committee will be formed to hold talks with other parties. The INLD will share seats from its quota of seats if new parties join hands with us.”