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The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), having failed to secure a single seat in the last Haryana assembly elections, is now setting its sights on playing the role of kingmaker in the upcoming polls. This ambitious strategy was outlined by AAP senior leader Raghav Chadha, days after the party declared its first 20 candidates and ruled out any possibility of an alliance with the Congress. Chadha, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), asserted that the formation of a government in Haryana this time will be impossible without AAP's involvement.
The party's target appears to be the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP), which had been a crucial ally to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in forming the previous government in 2019. Chadha's posts on X were particularly critical of JJP, predicting its downfall due to perceived betrayal of voters and accusing it of losing its support base. The JJP had provided the BJP with 10 vital seats in the last election, enabling the BJP to secure 40 out of the 90 seats, just six short of the majority mark. However, this alliance dissolved ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, with the JJP citing the growing farmers' anger against the BJP as a major concern for its own support base.
The JJP's apprehension about losing its voter base proved accurate in the Lok Sabha elections. The party failed to secure a single seat, while the BJP saw its representation drop from 7 to 5. The Congress, meanwhile, increased its seats from 1 to 5, filling the gap left by the BJP's decline. AAP seeks to capitalize on the JJP's weakened position, aiming to occupy the political space vacated by the party. However, the task ahead for AAP may not be as simple as it seems. The Congress remains a formidable force in Haryana, firmly establishing itself as the state's main opposition party and aspiring to return to power. The single-phase assembly election in Haryana is scheduled for October 5th, with the votes being counted on October 8th. The outcome will reveal whether AAP can successfully realize its kingmaker aspirations or face another election setback.
Source: "Can't Form Government Without...": AAP's Target For Haryana