After the rift in Haryana BJP, Central leadership may intervene to effect organisational rejig

New Delhi: In another major headache for the Bharatiya Janata Party, the saffron unit is facing a crisis in Haryana after reports of a rift between Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and the party’s state unit chief OP Dhankar.

There has been a growing distance between the government and the organisational set-up of the BJP and the issue is creating trouble in the smooth functioning of the saffron unit. The Central leadership is expected to intervene and effect an organizational rejig soon, sources said.  

It is learnt that the BJP’s central leaders have been apprised of the rift between the top two state leaders. “Both of these leaders have been asked to maintain an amicable working relationship. However, a change in the state's organisational set-up is not being ruled out,” sources said.  

Party sources stated that the BJP doesn’t want to anger the powerful Jat community in the state. Hence the appointment of OP Dhankar to the top party post in the state after the former chief, also a Jat community member, Subhash Barala, lost in the 2019 Assembly polls.

With about 20% population and a strong hold over land and government jobs, Jats are considered to be the most dominant community in the state. Over the past few years, the BJP has been fighting allegations of fomenting anti-Jat sentiments and riding on the consolidation of non-Jat castes to ride to victory in the 2014 and 2019 state legislative Assembly polls.

Solving the rift between the government and the BJP’s organisational set-up is considered crucial as the party wants to hold on to the crucial north Indian state. The saffron unit is also trying hard to make amends and reach out to the farming community in the state, dominated by Jats, as it wants to avoid a Punjab Assembly polls-like rout where the BJP was thrashed badly over the Central farmers' laws issue, sources added.

Currently, the 90-member Haryana Legislative Assembly has BJP 40, Jannayak Janta Party 10 and Congress 31 members. The other seats are held by Indian National Lok Dal and Independents.

The party had secured 49 seats in the 2014 Haryana Assembly polls, forming its first-ever government in the state under Manohar Lal Khattar. However, BJP had to ally with the JJP in 2019 after its seats fell short of the halfway mark due to rebellion in the saffron unit over the distribution of tickets.  

While the BJP had secured seven out of the ten Lok Sabha seats in 2014, the state had given all 10 seats to the saffron unit in 2019. Party sources stated that the BJP hopes to repeat its 100% strike rate in Haryana in 2024 as the Narendra Modi government seeks its third term at the Centre.

BJP cautious of a united opposition in 2024 Lok Sabha, Assembly polls

Over the last few months, the Indian National Lok Dal has been constantly trying to emerge as a uniting force to consolidate the opposition in the state.   

With the 2024 Lok Sabha and Assembly polls in mind, INLD organised a show of strength last month inviting senior leaders from different regional parties to form a united front against the BJP.

However, the saffron unit hopes that its ally JJP will be able to foil opposition attempts and corner a majority of the Jat vote with the rest being divided between the INLD and the Congress.  

Haryana is a key state in BJP’s strategic plan for 2024 as it strongly backs the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. With the recent joining of former Congress and Haryana Janhit Congress leader Kuldeep Bishnoi, the saffron unit is also attempting to further consolidate its non-Jat vote base in the state.