Day of resignations and party hopping: JJP faces setback after Haryana chief resigns from party

Less than a month after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), which was in power in Haryana, broke apart, the JJP suffered another blow today when Nishan Singh, the state leader of the party, announced his resignation.

Singh confirmed the news and said he had informed the JJP leadership of his decision. “I have informed the leadership of my choice. But whenever he chooses to meet with me, I will meet with national president Ajay Singh Chautala to give him my resignation letter in a day or two,” he said.

Even though there are speculations that Singh may join the Congress, he said that his resignation letter must be sent in before a decision is made. “I shall convene a meeting of employees to choose my next line of action. I’m still not sure which party I want to join,” he said.

In December 2018, the JJP was established as a split faction of the Indian National Lok Dal, in anticipation of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Singh assumed the role of state leader upon its establishment. With ten of its candidates winning in the 2019 Assembly elections, the party experienced victory and its leaders found themselves in a negotiating position since the BJP did not have a majority. Its founder and leader, Dushyant Chautala, was appointed Deputy Chief Minister in the BJP-led government of Haryana as part of a post-election coalition.

But after the coalition fell apart in March, a few JJP MLAs have maintained close ties with the BJP and even showed up for the first Haryana Vidhan Sabha meeting with Nayab Singh Saini as the Speaker. Some of these MLAs may leave the party before this year’s Assembly elections, according to reports.