Dushyant Chautala, who led his fledgling Jannayak Janata Party to a splendid victory, bagging 10 out of 90 seats, has not really surprised people clued in Haryana politics. The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), and before that the Lok Dal, founded by his great grandfather Devi Lal, had always aligned with the BJP, and its precursor, the Jan Sangh, by being in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) fold. The major difference was whenever they were in power in Jat dominated Haryana, it was the INLD and not the BJP that was the senior coalition partner, and got the top job of chief minister.
But in changed times, Dushyant agreeing to be the junior partner, after driving a reasonable bargain with the BJP, is a wise move. It behoves well for Haryana's social fabric—comprising Jats and others including Banias. The BJP has clearly not got the support of Jats. But in the government to be formed on Sunday, Dushyant will have ensured there is sufficient representation for them. He himself will become the deputy chief minister.
More importantly, Dushyant has ensured his party does not get disintegrate, with MLAs being wooed and won over by the BJP. And, given the fact that they will enjoy power after a gap of over 15 years, his party workers have reasons to rejoice.
The biggest achievement, however, is none of these. It is the performance of the JJP in comparison with that of the INLD headed by his uncle Abhay Chautala, who has the blessings and support of his father Om Prakash Chautala.
The performance has sealed the JJP as the real INLD, and not a dumped bunch of people who formed a breakaway faction. The JJP also claimed its place as the inheritor of the legacy of Chaudhary Devi Lal, who is the “Jananayak” lending this name to Dushyant's party. Grandfather Om Prakash Chautala and uncle Abhay Chautala's INLD has been swept aside even in seats that were once their pocket boroughs. All that is now behind Dushyant, who has earned his place as a Jat leader on par with former chief minister and Congress leader Bhupender Singh Hooda.
However, the real challenge begins after the swearing in of the BJP-JJP coalition government on Sunday.
Will the government take pro-Jat decisions? If Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had done that in his first term, the BJP would have won on its own. In the unlikely event of the Khattar government turning pro-Jat, Dushyant's flock is immediately threatened. Leaders of the Shiromani Akali Dal had in the past accused the saffron party of trying to fish in troubled waters and poach. So, safeguarding his legislators and party cadres, and getting rural and Jat favourable decisions will be Dushyant's immediate challenge. He will have to walk a tightrope just as much as Khattar will have to.
