Haryana Assembly poll: Disdained by BJP, is HJC mulling to go with Congress?

Days after severing its three-year-long alliance with the BJP, the Haryana Janhit Congress has reportedly indulged into back channel talks with its arch rival Congress ahead of assembly polls in Haryana.

Why HJC-BJP split alliance?

Putting an end to the prolonged tussle, Kuldeep Bishnoi-led HJC-BL last week decided to snap its three-year-old alliance with the BJP. Bishnoi has also joined hands with Vinod Sharma's Jan Chetna Party (JCP) and accused the BJP of betraying him.

"We tried our level best to keep the alliance working... made sincere efforts...They (BJP) are not ready to stick to agreed alliance principles. So we have taken a decision," a top HJC leader said in Chandigarh.

The BJP did not succumb under Bishnoi's pressure is due to the following reasons:

Firstly, BJP's brilliant performance in the Lok Sabha polls in Haryana where the party had won a whopping seven out of eight seats it had contested, while the HJC lost both the seats it was given. This gave the party's leadership in the state the confidence to enter in the upcoming assembly polls on its own.

The ties between the partners were also under strain due to differences on seat-sharing for the Assembly polls. Bishnoi was seeking 45 of the 90 seats and demanding that he be declared the Chief Ministerial candidate of the alliance, both of which the BJP had opposed.

Looking at the BJP's upbeat form in the state experts were speculating that the party would ditch Bishnoi, who even failed to win his incumbent parliamentary seat.

Why HJC showing closeness towards Congress?

As per reports, the day his party officially declared to part ways with the BJP, Bishnoi's close aides started getting in touch with Congress leaders in the state to explore a possible alliance with the ruling party. The party has reportedly opened back channel talks with the Congress as it knows Bhupinder Singh Hooda will not be able to pull through on its own.

Experts feel, Bishnoi knows it very well that the Congress would never want archrivals INLD or the BJP to come to power in the state. Hence he hopes that there is a chance for HJC to forge a grand alliance with the Congress, JCP to harm BJP and INLDs prospects in the state.

Though no official confirmation has come from either of parties, but there can't be any fire without some fuel. Only time will tell whether BJP will be at receiving end or HJC but this has given Congress a chance to save the grace.