Eye on Devi Lal legacy, Jat votebank, JJP to contest 18 seats in Rajasthan

Having created a base in Haryana, the JJP now wants to spread its wings in neighbouring Rajasthan because of mainly two factors. First, Rajasthan has a large number of Jat voters, which is also the JJP’s core vote bank in Haryana, and second, to stake claim over the legacy of Dushyant great-grandfather and former deputy prime minister Devi Lal. The JJP leaders feel that they will be in a position to bargain seats with BJP on the basis of influence of Jats in several assembly constituencies in Rajasthan.

In the 1989 Lok Sabha elections, Devi Lal was elected from two seats — Sikar (Rajasthan) and Rohtak (Haryana).

Dushyant’s father Ajay too was elected to Rajasthan assembly twice — first from Data Ram Garh (1989) and then from Nohar (1993). In 2003, when Om Prakash Chautala was Haryana CM, the INLD had won six seats in Rajasthan. In 2008, the INLD contested the Assembly election in alliance with BJP, which gave the party four seats but lost all.

In subsequent elections, the INLD could not perform well in Rajasthan because of setbacks to the Chautala clan, especially conviction of Om Prakash Chautala and Ajay Chautala in a teachers’ recruitment case in 2013.

JJP being an alliance partner in the Haryana government and Ajay Chautala now out of jail, the party has significantly increased its activities in Rajasthan. JJP’s student wing — Indian National Students Organization (INSO) — contested the students’ union elections in Rajasthan colleges and succeeded in winning a few seats. The INSO celebrated its foundation day in Jaipur in August this year and Dushyant attended the event as the chief guest. There, Dushyant raised the issue of 75 per cent reservation for local youth in private sector jobs in Rajasthan on the lines of the similar policy in Haryana.

Not only Dushyant, his father Ajay Chautala and younger brother Digvijay Chautala too have visited Rajasthan several times this year. Digvijay was very active during the students’ union polls in Rajasthan. In June this year, Ajay Chautala laid the foundation stone of Veer Teja ji temple at Rajasthan’s Kharnal (Nagaur). Later Dushyant too visited the place in August.