Haryana polls: Smaller parties like HJC, HJCP and HLP hopes soar, may play kingmakers

HISAR: The predictions of opinion polls that Haryana’s electorate may spring a hung assembly on October 19 has made the hopes of smaller parties like Kuldeep Bishnoi-led HJC, Venod Sharma’s HJCP and Gopal Kanda’s HLP hopes soar as they may play kingmakers.

In the 2009 polls, Congress had fallen short of a majority in the 90-member Haryana Assembly. Bhupinder Singh Hooda had to bank on the support of Kanda and Venod Sharma and wean away five of Bishnoi’s MLAs to cobble together the requisite numbers.

If the opinion polls are to be believed, the on-going elections may again lead to a hung assembly. The smaller parties and the Independents in the fray are ready to be courted by whichever among INLD, BJP or Congress gets closest to the majority mark of 46.

Bishnoi, whose MLAs had deserted him and joined Hooda, is not likely to let go of such an opportunity this time. Though he maintains that his party will get a majority, he also admits that post-poll he is ready to join hands with anybody who implements the promises he has made in his manifesto.

“I am not ruling out anything. In politics anything is possible. This election is going to be a game of numbers. We are ready to ally with anybody who agrees with our manifesto. Like-minded people can surely join hands in politics,” Bishnoi told ET.

Asked why he broke off his alliance with the BJP, he says it is the latter which broke off as it thought it could win due to the Modi wave. “I was keen on an alliance. But all senior BJP leaders just used me. BJP has a history of using and throwing regional parties. It did this with Devi Lal, Bansi Lal and Om Prakash Chautala earlier and now with me and Uddhav,” Bishnoi said.