Jolt to JJP as 4 MLAs quit party in Haryana

Chandigarh: In a jolt to the JJP ahead of the assembly elections in Haryana, four of its MLAs quit the party, sources said on Saturday.

Anoop Dhanak, Ram Karan Kala, Devender Babli and Ishwar Singh quit the party citing personal reasons, the sources said.

The Election Commission on Friday announced that assembly polls in Haryana would be held in a single phase on October 1 and the results declared on October 4.

The Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) had won 10 seats in the 2019 assembly polls.

Dhanak, a minister in the Manohar Lal Khattar-led BJP-JJP coalition government, was elected from the Uklana constituency in Hisar while Babli had won from the Tohana seat in Fatehabad.

Babli was also a minister in the Khattar government.

Singh is the MLA from Guhla-Chika in Kaithal while Kala is the legislator from Shahabad in Kurukshetra.

Two party MLAs — Ram Niwas Surjakhera from the Narwana seat and Jogi Ram Sihag from the Barwala constituency — are facing disqualification charges.

The JJP joined hands with the BJP after the saffron party failed to win a majority in the 90-member House in the 2019 polls.

The alliance came to an end in March after Nayab Singh Saini replaced Khattar as chief minister.