AAP, JJP form alliance in Haryana

NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party and the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) on April 12 announced firming up an alliance in Haryana to fight on all 10 Lok Sabha seats in the state. The JJP was launched by former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala's grandson Dushyant Chautala, following a power struggle in the state's main opposition INLD last year. The JJP was formed in December last year following a split in the family of former Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala, who heads the Indian National Lok Dal. Senior AAP leader Gopal Rai said the JJP will fight on seven seats.

Dushyant Chautala said he would decide on his party's candidates for the seven seats in the next two to three days. "Jhadu (AAP's election symbol) and chappal (JJP's poll symbol) will remove obstructions and emerge victoriously, and together they will defeat the BJP and Congres," Chautala said. Arvind Kejriwal has proposed an alliance between the AAP, JJP and the Congress but the grand old party rejected the proposal.

Gopal Rai said, "If the Congress is confident of winning in Punjab without an alliance, AAP is also capable of winning all the seats in Delhi on its own. I would like to ask Surjewala if Congress had forgotten about its loss in the bypoll in Jind." He said that Congress seemed to be self-obsessed and is in a state of confusion. "AAP took the decision to contest on 35 seats in different States as it felt it could defeat the BJP in these seats. The Congress, however, is ready to lose these seats as it is reluctant to form an alliance," Rai said.